


A London Holiday

by Ansomu (mlrannht)



Category: British Actor RPF, henry cavill Fandom
Genre: F/M, Henry meets OC, I Can't Believe I Wrote This, Kal is also part of the story, My First Smut, Smut, What Was I Thinking?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-28
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-12 07:28:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 34,384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29756184
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mlrannht/pseuds/Ansomu
Summary: Meeting Henry Cavill on the second day of her trip to London has not been on Emmas extensive holiday agenda. But now she is getting the know the man behind all the fame and stories and she realizes that he is just amazing. Follow their week together.
Relationships: Henry Cavill/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 24





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This my first fanfiction, my first smut fiction and the first time I ever have written about a real person.  
> In the end the idea stuck in my head and I just decided to put it to paper, so to speak. 
> 
> English is not my native language, so please be kind. I tried to stay with british english in the writing. 
> 
> I'm working on a sequel, so there might be some future chapters added later.

-1-

Emma walked along a street with cute little houses and trees lining the pathway somewhere in South Kensington. Her destination: Kensington Palace.

While turning around another corner, she came to the conclusion that her original plan, to wander the streets without any destination for some time, just enjoying the sun and her surroundings, suddenly seemed not the best idea any more. She was lost..

Taking out her map, she looked around to see whether she could spy a street sign, She was lucky, squinting her eyes she read. „Stanford Road“ and started to search the street on her map.

She kept on walking on the pavement without looking ahead, when suddenly she heard a bark in front of her.

Stopping instantly, she looked down and spied a dog directly in front of her feet. He had a black head, white legs, pointy ears, fluffy fur and pitch black eyes which were focused on her. Without thinking, she smiled and held out her hand to let him sniff. The dog pushed her hand without hesitation and started to lick it. „Ja wer bist du denn? Bist du wuschelig, und so ein Süßer“ she cooed.

He pushed his head against her hand and she started to pet him, scratching behind his ears, while he sat down next to her feet, his tail wagging enthusiastically. „So ein feiner Kerl und so hübsch“

Abruptly she heard a hrump, a male voice which made her look up. She glanced up to the owner of the dog, taking in strong legs connecting to narrow hips, a broad chest, followed by a chiselled jaw with a subtle stubble, a straight nose and piercing blue eyes, which were focused on her. His browns knitted together in a frown. She blushed.

„He seems to like you, what did you say to him“ his deep voice made her heart skip a beat. ”Ah...I asked him who he was, and told him that he is really fluffy, and such a cutie“ she stammered, blushing even more furiously. „I'm sorry, I should have not touched him without permission“ Taking her hand away from the dog, wringing them together nervously.

„Yes, you shouldn't have, but Kal loves being the centre of attention, soit does not matter.“ Just in this moment Kal, true to his nature, pushed his head back to her hands, giving another encouraging wuff to motivated his new friend to keep on petting him.

She laughed, „Oh yes you are definitely, such a good boy!“ and he also chuckled lightly. The sound made her look back to his eyes, no longer scrutinizing her, now more inquiring. Her blush was back.

“What you said, it sounded like German.” „It was. I'm from Germany“ “So you are here on holiday?“ “Yes, I just arrived yesterday“ „And you are alone?“ he inquired

„You are a stranger, I shouldn't tell you that” “You are a stranger and you pet my dog” he retorted with a smirk. She had to laugh.

“Point taken! My friend, who was supposed to come with me, got sick, I didn't want to miss the opportunity and decided to go by myself.“ He smiled and chuckled again. Something in that smile made her heart beat even faster.

„I'm Henry“ he introduced himself. So she was right, that was the last clue. Henry Cavill was standing in front of her and he was talking to her, like it was the most normal thing in the world. She just couldn't believe it.

„I know..“ she said sheepishly „Oh, I didn't think you recognized me.“ He sounded a little disappointed and took a small step back. Kal was still at her feet and didn't move. „Well, I'm usually really bad at recognizing people, even if I know them, but I just finished The Witcher yesterday on the plane, so I do remember you“ she said sheepishly. He looked even more uncomfortable and she was afraid he would think she was a crazy fan. He pushed his hand through his dark hair.

Just in the moment Kal thinking that his owner and new friend were much too serious and silent, decided to join in the conversation with another wuff and push of the head. That made her laugh again.

“What kind of dog is he?“ „An American Akita“ „I have never seen one like him. His fur is so soft, makes you want to burrow your face in it and just hug him all day“ she smiled at the animal at her feet. Moving her eyes back to Henry in front of her, she realised he was looking at her again. He looked absent-minded and she felt those blue eyes again on her, prompting another blush. She could not understand why he made her feel like this, sure he was too handsome to be true, and judging on how he filled out the sleeves of his shirt, even after several months after the release of the Witcher season one he was still in the same shape. But something in his eyes, tugged deep within her.

“So, before this big one here stopped you from running into us, why were you looking at the map, are you lost?“ he interrupted her musing. „Yeah a little bit“

“Why on earth are you using a map, isn't everybody googling everything nowadays?“ he wondered.

„I usually would do that, but as the UK left the EU, my provider raised a roaming fee and so I'm without any internet if there is no wifi and I'm back to the old fashion way. Unfortunately, I took the strolling around in the neighbourhood a little bit to serious and that's how I got lost and I know now in which street I am, but I can't find it on the map, or at least not until now. And yes, Google maps would be much much easier.“ she rambled and stopped suddenly. What must he think of her? She looked down again, concentrating on her shoes.

He sniggered. „I would agree, but you're in luck, I know this neighbourhood pretty well, let me know where you would like to go and I can tell you which way.“ „ Kensington Palace?“ He nodded.

„It is quite easy, you are here, just follow the street, turn left, straight on and then the second to the right, and then just across Kensington Gore and then you are at the park and you can't miss the palace, there is a big statue of Queen Victoria in front of it.“ pointing out the way on the map with his finger while he talked. She gulped, he had such big hands and long fingers. Emma shook her head, she needed to get a hold of herself. He was being friendly and she was just staring at his fingers.

„Yes..thank you“ she stammered. „You're sure?“ he inquired. „ Yes, thank you so much, Henry“

„Not a problem...” he stopped and smiled. “You never told me your name.“ „It's Emma“ and she automatically offered her hand for a handshake. She could see how he looked at her hand for a fraction of a second and then took it. As soon as their fingers touched, there was jolt of energy going through her arm, like a little lightning bolt. Surprised, she looked up and saw for a moment the same surprise flickering in his eyes. She was not sure, but it seemed like he felt it too and then he smiled at her, a full on smile.

„It is nice to meet you“ she smiled back. „Nice to meet you too, Emma“ The way he said her name made her blush reappear and she could feel her cheeks growing hot again, it sounded almost like a caress. Surely, she was just imagining things. His strong hand engulfing her small one, naturally warm, was certainly not something she imagined, and again, his eyes held her gaze and she couldn't move. She did not know how long he held her hand in his, the few seconds felt like forever. And then, he let go and she dropped her hand, the spell was broken and she felt nervous again.

„So again, thanks for the help, I better get going“ she mumbled..“Bye Kal, it was really nice meeting you.“ scratching his head one more time, she started to turn to move in the direction he pointed earlier, when she heard him speak „I could accompany you..I have to walk Kal anyway and he always likes to walk to Hyde Park..“

She looked at him surprised. He raked his hand through his hair again, it looked like he was almost nervous as well. „Yes, I would love that“ she smiled at him and they started to walk side by side. Kal in front of them, happy that he was able to continue his walk..

\------

Stepping out of the shower after another gruesome workout, he put a towel around his hips and looked in the fogged up mirror. He was between shoots and happy to finally have some time for Kal and himself. Still having to train to keep the shape he was expected to have when he returned to shoot season 2 of the Witcher, was tiring but not as exhausting as the last few months. He had some down time and enjoyed the relatively quiet days in his house. He liked being here, the big city giving him not only relative anonymity, but also enough to do to in his free time.

Kal came charging into his bathroom, eager to see him out of the shower, telling him that his time finally arrived. He barked. „Well bear, what do you think? Should we go outside for a walk?“ Another excited bark and a lot of happy tail wagging told him this dog was ready. „Ok buddy, I know you had to wait“ He laughed, as Kal tilted his head just looking at him. „Let me just get dressed and then we will go“. Petting his head he let his finger glide through his fluffy fur.

At 6'1'' Henry Cavill stood tall, years of intensive workout for his films and shows left him with strong legs, well defined abs, chest and arms. He was proud of his body and the work he put into it and he was happy to show it. He was lucky that his genes provided a strong jaw, straight nose and blue eyes which were well matched with his dark hair. It certainly helped in the business to have a handsome face in addiction to a well built body. And he liked his job. Yes, the pay and the other advantages which came from being a successful actor were definitely a big factor, but in the end they were not enough to make him put all this work in. Neither during preparation phase nor on set. Of course, there was also the down side on all of it. The constant attention, the paparazzi and sometimes even the fans, most of the time female, with the propositions.

He never understood, why being a known actor and celebrity made it ok to lose all common sense of propriety. He had more numbers given to him than he could count, more tight hugs, unsuccessful attempts to kiss him or suggestive comments than he liked. He played several roles where there was nudity and sex scenes involved, but in the end, it was a role, an act. Henry never understood, why those women thought that he was like that in real life. He had to admit in the beginning of his career he liked the attention and maybe he had been more forward with some women than he should have been. Lately though, his mind wandered more to how great it would be to come home to someone after a long day, who didn't have four legs and barked. He had had several relationships in his past, even had been engaged for a time, but in the end it was never the right turned out right.

At 37, he thought about his brothers, with their children and how in the end this was what he wanted as well. After putting on some briefs, some trousers and a shirt, he walked through his bedroom. “Ok, bear, lets go” Putting Kal on the leash, Henry closed the door behind him and started walking through his neighbourhood. It was a beautiful day and his mood got better. Kal was sniffing either on the ground or at the many lamp posts.

Looking ahead he spied a woman moving in his direction, she seemed lost in some paper in her hand. Thinking about changing the side of the street to avoid being noticed, Henry decided against it in the end. Kal, being eager, pushed ahead and just before the woman collided with his dog, he let out a bark and caught her attention. Henry expected that she would look, but she surprised him as she focused directly at the animal in front of her, talking to him in German and held out her hand to let him sniff.

Ever open for some TLC, Kal immediately started to lick her hand and was happy when she started to stroke him. Henry frowned, a bit irritated. She was of medium height maybe 5'6'', slender build but with curves in the right places. Her brown wavy hair was falling past her shoulders and she wore a blue dress and flats. The paper in her hand, he realised, was a map of London. He coughed, slightly annoyed, making her look up to him. He could see her fully taking him in and blushing profusely. She stuttered her answer. He waited for the usually “Oh my god you are Henry Cavill and can I get an autograph”, but it did not come. She rather seemed very nervous because he called her out for her forward behaviour with his dog. The continuous blush was quite endearing. Her face was beautiful, light skin, which was still lightly red, big brown eyes, which flickered nervously. He saw a lot of freckles on her nose and full lips, which she bit.

He didn't know why he started to ask more questions, maybe the fact that she did not act like the normal fans he encountered and that Kal really seemed to like her. He was a happy dog, he loved attention, but the way he behaved right now with this woman in front of him,was usually reserved for him and his friends and family, certainly not a stranger. And then he introduced himself and she mentioned she knew who he was. He immediately got defensive. Even if the conversation was very nice up to now, he expected that it would head in the normal direction, and he thought about his exit. But then she surprised him again, for enquiring again after Kal and keeping the focus on his dog, rather than on him. He looked at her again, she seemed so unpretentious, a natural beauty with a wonderful smile. When she focused her eyes again on him, he decided that maybe he could have a normal conversation with her. Her rambling and explanation was cute and he decided to help her. The way she said his name when she thanked him, made him look at her lips and then he asked her for her name. It was only fair, she knew his name and probably much more. When she held out her hand, he was caught off guard, he did not remember the last time, a woman introduced herself with a handshake, but it seemed so intuitive that he took her small hand into his. A buzz went up his arm and he could not explain it. Never had he such a reaction to a handshake. He dropped her hand, afraid of his reaction and what he might say. When she started to say goodbye, he didn't want to let her got just yet, he wanted to get to know her more. So he offered to accompany her and her amazing smile confirmed that it was the right decision.

\-----

After walking together for a few moments, Henry picked up the conversation. “So, Emma, you obviously know what I do for a living, but what about you? “

“I'm an engineer” “An engineer?” He sounded surprised, but that was not unfamiliar to her, so she started to explain.

“Yes, I work as a project leader for a company developing transmissions” “What kind of transmissions?” “Automotive, Dual clutch transmissions. I mostly work on projects for the Asian market with our joint ventures in China”

“I heard of them but what is the difference to a torque converter transmission?” Henry was intrigued.

“Well, as you have two clutches connected to two transmissions sections, you have constant connection to the powertrain, which leads not only to less shift delay and bumps, but also has better fuel consumption. You see, while the gear you're driving, is engaged, the transmission already brings the next gear to the same input speed and at shift point, the two clutches open and close simultaneously which leads to no torque break. Of course, this is all depending on the calibration and software coordination between TCU and ECU. I'm sorry, I'm rambling” she laughed nervously.

“No, it's really interesting. You probably hear that a lot but I find it refreshing when women know about engineering” Not only that Emma was gorgeous, but she also seemed to be smart.

“Well, yes I do, but you get used to it. When I was in university, there were more guys there than girls and also now at the company I work, there are definitely more men than women. Most of those women are in the “usual” fields, like HR, Marketing, but we have also many female engineers, doing calibration, system engineering, verification engineering and so on, you know. For me, although I like the technical aspect of my work, the project coordination is more appealing, solving issues, coordinating tasks, meetings... I like to organise, make lists and so on, so that fits right into my job description and I love my work”

Her eyes shone brightly and she had a big smile on her face. She really looked genuinely happy and he let her continue. It was refreshing.

“Sometimes it is of course stressful, but if you finally get through the issue, pass the milestone or gate, it really is rewarding and I feel fortunate...I know it is not like changing the world, there are much more important jobs and achievements but I have been very satisfied and happy the last years.”

Realising she had said way too much, Emma blushed again. “I'm sorry I got a little carried away”

“No its ok, it is wonderful, when people enjoys what they do..I sometimes have the feeling, many people don't”

“I bet you enjoy your work? I mean all the places you get to see and the people you are meeting...I would love to travel more...” She sighed.

“Well, yes, it is a very privileged life, it has its advantages and disadvantages, the travelling is fantastic. Sadly I never seem to have enough time to really see the places, except of course for the sets. Some of them are truly spectacular.” He realised they were almost at Kensington Gore, they would reach their destination very soon. “What are you plans here in London?” He inquired.

“Oh today, I want to see Kensington Palace, Albert Memorial and Royal Albert Hall, and tomorrow morning the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey and then the afternoon I want to take a walk through Hyde Park. I actually had many more museums on my list, but with this wonderful weather it feels strange to spend so much time indoors..I just have to come back, when it's raining, I guess” she laughed.

“Well that will be not hard, it does rain quite often here” he sniggered. They passed the street and before them was the entrance to Hyde Park.

Henry took her to a more secluded side lane and stopped. “Here we are, if you follow up that lane, you can't miss it.”

“Oh, great, thank you so much again, it was really nice of you to accompany me...” Now she would have to say goodbye, this time for real...Emma knew even the walk to the palace was already highly unusual. Expecting more was not an option. She looked at Henry. Yes, he was an actor, his body was gorgeous, his face beautiful, but to her he seemed so easy going and comfortable, like he genuinely was interested in her. It was probably all in her imagination.

“Emma, I know how this sounds, but would you like to meet again tomorrow? I mean I have some things to do in the morning, but I have time in the afternoon and if you want to walk through Hyde Park, Kal and I could come with you..that's of course only if you like to, I mean you don't have to say yes..” He didn't know why he suddenly was nervous, but the thought of never seeing her again, made him feel somewhat anxious. His hands were again raking through his hair, she realised that it was a nervous tic of his.

“You want to meet again?” She was completely taken off guard. “Don't you have a lot do?”

“Yes I would like to meet again, I'm in between shoots, so I have time, and even if I didn't, I would make time...I would like to get know you more..” he smiled nervously at her.

“Henry..I..I don't know what to say..i I mean, I would like that very much.”

“Will you give me your number? We can fix the time and the place where to meet this evening when you are back at your hotel..I need to check exactly when I'm done with my session.” he held out his phone to her.

Blushing, she took his phone and put in her digits and returned it to him.

“What's your last name? You never told me” He chuckled.

“It's Müller, you know with u e, It's a typical German name.” she explained. “Mueller” “Müller” “Mueller” she laughed. “We'll work on that.”

“I'm looking forward to it” he smiled at her, that dazzling smile which made feel all warm inside.“Me too”

Their eyes locked again. Henry raised his hand in the direction of her cheek. Her heart thudded so hard and loud in her chest, she was afraid that he could hear it. In this moment Kal let out another bark, and the spell was broken, Henry let his hand fall down again. Out of the corner of his eyes he saw some people walking in their direction.

“I better go..You still have a lot planned today. It was a pleasure meeting you, Emma.“

“You too, Henry. I'm looking forward to tomorrow. Bye Kal” she stroked his head again. Henry smiled and turned around to leave. When he turned his head back, she still stood in the spot, raising her hand in small wave, which he returned and smiled.

What happened to her? She could not wrap her head around it. She would never have imagined in her wildest dreams that she would meet a man such as Henry. Being pretty sure that he was about to touch her cheek when Kal barked, she knew that she wanted him to touch her. That he was a worldwide known actor didn't matter to her. He could have been an accountant for all she cared. She breathed in deeply. And he wanted to meet her again. The rational part of her brain, cautioned her to try not get too excited. Yes they had a nice conversation, but nothing more. He seemed to enjoy it too. He would not have asked to meet her again, but in the end, that was it. She huffed. She was here to enjoy her holiday and she was planing to do just that. With a new determination, Emma walked in the direction of the Kensington Palace and the excitement to see the former home of Queen Victoria took over. She walked on the gravel drive towards the building and dove right in the history as it was brought alive by the museum. After she bought the ticket and received her audio guide, she followed the different rooms and exhibitions.

\----

Her stomach grumbled. It was already late and she only had an apple for lunch. Emma looked back to her map and found the next underground station. She planned to go to Camden food market for her dinner, having heard about it from a friend who had already been to London several times. She changed lines at Kings Cross and after some minor orientation problems, as she came above ground again and another curse of not having Google Maps to help, she found the correct direction and wandered down the street to the market.

Emma looked around and was amazed by all the stalls along side the road. Such a variety of items that could be purchased at Camden Market, mostly clothes and accessories. Some were more extravagant and maybe a little bit crazy than others. Masses of people pushed through the lines and she decided against browsing through the markets. Her stomach made another unhappy sound and she moved on. Coming to the area of the food market, the many different delicious aromas of various cuisines reached her nose and her mouth started to water a little. With so many choice in front of her, Emma walked around to see the different options. In the end she chose a little stall where the aroma of cheese made her stop. “The Mac Factory” was stated with bold letters on the sign. She browsed the options of the menus solely dedicated to Mac'n'cheese and turned to the vendor.

“Hi, I would like to have the Mac'n'cheese Nostaligic, please.” “Sure, that will be ten pounds.” she handed the woman in the booth the ten pound note and waited while her order was prepared. She looked around. There were several tables scattered over the place. “Here you go, enjoy your mac'n' cheese “ and she was handed her portion. It smelled and looked delicious.”Thanks” she turned and spied an almost empty table ahead.

There were two women sitting there eating what looked like falafel. “Hi, sorry, do you mind if I sit here?” Emma asked.

“No not at all.” one of them answered and Emma sat down on the opposite side of the table. Not able to stop herself, she first took a picture of her food and then started to eat. It was amazing, the different flavours and cheesy goodness made her moan.

A little distracted by her food, she did not hear the conversation of her neighbours at first. They were German, she looked up and laughed. It was always liked this. Whenever she went on holiday, she met at least one other German. In the past, Emma tended to be shy towards strangers, but her travels made her more curious and outspoken, now she enjoyed meeting new people.

It was already after 6 pm, when she walked back to the underground station. Her hotel was located near Kings Cross station in a little side street. It was not much, but clean and not completely overpriced. When she entered her room, her mobile phone automatically connected to the Hotel Wi-Fi and suddenly, there were several vibrations indicating new messages. She held her breath. Forcing herself to first take off her shoes, washing her hands in the small bathroom before sitting down on the bed and taking her phone in her hand, feeling a little nervous. She scanned quickly through her messages. Two from her mother, several group chats and one from her best friend..and then the last one from an unknown number with +44 country code. Her heart skipped a beat. He really had texted her.

She opened Whatsapp and there it was:

_H: Hi Emma, did you like Kensington Palace? Henry_

Her heart beat faster. When she saw the time stamp, it beat even more furiously. Send at 4.38 pm. That was just 1 hour after they parted. He certainly did not waste a lot of time. She blushed at the thought.

_E: Hi Henry, yes it was amazing, I really enjoyed it. It was a wonderful experience :). Also the memorial and Royal Albert Hall were impressive. I loved it._

She added him to her contacts. She just put Henry as name, feeling strange to add Cavill. It would make it weird. When she turned back to Whatsapp she could see his profile picture for the first time. It was of him and Kal on some kind of boat. Kal had his tongue sticking out and Henry had a smile playing on his lips. It was just a snapshot, but it still made her feel all warm inside. Not expecting an immediate reply, she turned to her other messages. Her mum was just checking up on her, asking about her trip and reminded her to stay safe. Emma typed out a fast answer, assuring her mother everything was alright and told her about the things she saw today, leaving out her meeting with Henry. The group messages were mostly her friends from home chatting about meeting up soon. She scrolled through them and made a mental note to keep the Saturday in two weeks free. Her best friend Alexandra send her a small message and added a picture of her and her three year old daughter. Emma smiled. Pregnant with her second child, Alexandra and her daughter were sitting on the couch making funny faces in the camera. They met in university, the few women in the classes knew each other soon and a little group was formed, Although separated by different majors in the later semesters the group stayed together and even after almost five years after graduating and all having jobs in different cities, they came together at least twice a year. With Alexandra she became fast friends, living in the same street ensured they met often. Sharing the same interests independent from classes, the women's bond was even stronger and she shared everything with her.

Suddenly her phone vibrated, his name plopped on the screen.

_H: Glad, you enjoyed it. What else did you do?_

_E: I went to Camden Market and had the most delicious mac'n' cheese on this earth._

_H :D sounds like heaven. So you like mac'n'cheese?_

_E: What kind of question is that? :D There is never too much cheese.._

_H: So true, but I have to admit when I'm training for a role, I need to avoid it_

_E: Poor you, the sacrifices you have to make :D_

_H: I don't have the feeling that you are taking this really seriously :D_

_E: Don't know why you could even think that, but I bet you get compensated handsomely. So no pity from me._

She laughed. It was so easy to fall in simple banter when her tongue was not tied due to his proximity.

_H: How mean of you. ;)_

_E: You will survive, I'm sure._

_H: Hardly.. So, I checked, my training session ends at 1:30 pm. With a shower and so on, Kal and I could be at Hyde Park at 3 pm. What do you think?_

_E: 2pm sounds good. Where do you want to meet?_

_H: How about the entrance close to Queens Gate, near the Sir Robert Napier statue. That should be easy to find even with out maps. It's between the memorial and Kensington Palace._

Emma quickly googled the location

_E: Ok, I'm pretty sure I will be able to find it tomorrow. :)_

_H: Good, we wouldn't want you to get lost a second time in two days and without me being there to help you ;)_

_E: You make me sound like I'm a lost puppy without any orientation_

_H: I happen to like puppies. ;)They are cute._

She blushed. It sounded like he was flirting with her.

_E: That explains Kal ;)_

_H :D Yes it does._

Emma yawned, the long day, walking around London took its toll. As much as she liked chatting with Henry, she knew that if she was to survive tomorrow, she would need an early night.

_E: Well, he is awfully cute. And such a good boy. I would take him home in a heart beat_

_H: Good to know. He seems to like you as well, I may need to be on my guard, so in the end of the day, he does not follow you home._

_E: I don't think the hotel allows dogs, so you are safe...for now..I'm sorry but I'm really tired from today..I'm already on the bed and I'm afraid I'll fall asleep any second now.._

_H: Don't worry. Good night, sweet dreams, I can't wait for tomorrow. :)_

_E: Me too! Good night, sleep well._

She put her phone next to her and sighed. What a day. Emma got ready for bed and when she l under the covers and closed her eyes, she could see Henry's eyes and smile. She definitely could not wait until tomorrow.

\---

After Henry waved back to her, he walked back in direction of his house, taking the longer way, so Kal was satisfied. He kept thinking about his meeting with Emma. She seemed a little shy, but he liked that. He didn't like women to be too forward. His last girlfriend was very bold when they met and at that time he did not mind. However, through the course of their relationship, he realised that maybe she was a a little too impertinent. Paired with several other incidents, it was good that it ended. He knew that even in the short time with Emma, he was already much more intrigued than he was ever before. He smiled, he would meet her again tomorrow and was excited. Pushing away any doubts about her being in London for only a few days, he remembered the buzz he felt when their hands touched. Had those people not been walking in their direction, he would have caressed her face.

Hell, he would have maybe even kissed her. Her eyes drew him in, her smile made him feel warm. He was turning in a sappy romance novel, like his mother used to read. He had to get a grip. Returning to his house, he looked at his phone. He was already thinking about texting her. However with all the sights she had on her list, it would take her some time before she was back at the hotel. Groaning, he put the phone down and went to the kitchen to get something to drink. Sometime later, he picked up his phone again. Typing out a short message to her, he hit send. She seemed to have her setting on private, because he was not able to see her profile picture. “Well, buddy, now we have to wait.” he said to Kal. He was in the middle of his dinner, when his phone pinged. Opening the message, he read her answer. Smiling, he noticed that there was now a profile picture on the top of the screen. He enlarged it.

It was black and white, a candid shot. She seemed to be at some sort of formal event, because she wore a dress, her hair in a fancy updo. But the smile she directed at the camera was the same mesmerising one he saw today. The dress showed off her legs and some nice cleavage. She was gorgeous. He answered and enjoyed their back and forth, laughing out loud when she stated there was never too much cheese. It seemed she had a healthy appetite. He was happy, when she agreed to the time. He would have to hurry to make it, but this way they could spend more time together. He liked their teasing, it seemed that the rather shy woman he had met in the afternoon had more teasing streak in her. It was to be a long wait until tomorrow.

-2-

Emma woke up to the alarm on her phone at 7am. She groaned. What kind of holiday was it, where you had to get up at same time when going to work? Then her eyes flew open. Today she was going to meet Henry again. She looked at her phone. Should she text him good morning? Suddenly being nervous, another groan escaped her and she put her arms over her eyes. It was getting complicated already.

With an annoyed huff she stood up, left her phone on the bedside table and took a shower. While drying off, she took her phone and send out a quick text to Henry.

_E: Good morning :), I hope you slept well. I'm just getting ready and will head out soon, so no more reception :( I'm looking forward to later._

She did not expect a reply, it was probably much too early. When she stood in front of her suitcase, another problem arose, she had no idea what to wear. It was not exactly like she planned to meet a guy while in London. Luckily, she anticipated the warm weather, and had packed at least some dresses including her favourite. It was dark blue, with medium wide straps, fitted at the chest and flowing out on with an a-line skirt. She planned to wear it anyway, she told herself, again annoyed with herself of making such a fuss. She left most of her hair down, only pinning two strands at her forehand to avoid having them falling in her eyes during the day. After putting on some sunscreen, with her light skin she did burn easily, even in London, she packed her bag and went down to get breakfast. Just as she was getting up from her table, her phone vibrated and a message popped on the screen.

_H: Good morning to you too, 7:15? damn that's early. Have a nice day :) See you at 2. Kal is already excited._

_E: Thank you. You too :)_

Smiling she read the short message and put her phone away.

The Tower of London opened at 9:00 am and Emma had already bought her ticket online, so once she was there, she could skip the line at the ticket booth and directly go to the entrance. She always planned it like that when visiting the most popular sights. This way, after only standing in line for 10 min, she was able to enter the area. The people entering with her took their time to look around, but Emma made the beeline for the crown jewel exhibition. Another one of her quirks was seeing the most popular thing in the beginning when the others were just getting orientated and then enjoy the rest of the sight in peace. She liked the Tower of London, even with its bloody history as an execution side, and the tour given by one of the royal guards, was not only very interesting but also very funny. As time flew by, more and more people filled the court yard and as she was finished, Emma left one of London's most popular sights to walk over to the Tower Bridge and to the museum located within. It was always interesting to see the history of architecture, the only downside, the glass walkway in the middle of the platform. Emma was afraid of heights. It did not matter in planes, she loved flying, it was also ok when she was on top of buildings with a nice high railing, but anything were you could look down on the ground below, made her feel queasy. All the people standing there on the glass, taking photos from above, she would never be able to to that. Lucky for her there was also a small lane without glass floor which she gladly took. When she left the museum, she was already on the other side of the Thames. The sun rising higher in the sky and she made a short break on the bridge to drink some water and eat some fruit which she had bought at one of the many little supermarkets around town.

Walking to the Shard and taking the Tube to Westminster Abbey, she arrived in good time to visit the impressive church. She was always amazed what people from the past were able to build and achieve without the support of modern technology. Wandering around the abbey, she tried to take everything in.

Looking on her phone, she realised it was almost time to meet Henry. Her heart beat faster, she needed to get her nerves under control. Taking the bus to the nearest station she arrived at their meeting point faster than she anticipated. Rather then just standing there, she plucked in her earphones and settled on some of her favourite music and sorted the pictures she made so far through out the day. Fully engrossed and humming along her music, that she did not notice her surroundings any more.

After a rather early morning with some fasted cardio and some pre-training breakfast, Henry went to the gym, opting to taking Kal with him. He concentrated on the upper body and arms, rather the legs and glutes and went through the exercises one by one. In the breaks between he checked his phone, although he knew there would be no message from her. He was surprised, but very happy when she send him a short message in the morning. He wanted to avoid being late. However, time seemed to go slower then normally. Spacing out several times, his coach had to get his attention.

“Henry, you just did three reps too many, what's up with you?” “Nothing, just thinking about something” His coach laughed, “You looked like you were somewhere completely different. Any plans for today?”

“Just taking a walk with Kal afterwards” He did not want to share yet...Maybe it was going to be nothing in the end.

“Well, how about we move to biceps curls?” “Yeah sure”

After his training, he rushed home, took a quick shower, and putting on some trousers and button down shirt with short sleeves, quickly styling his hair. Moving to his dressing table, he decided to take his sunglasses. He hoped to avoid being recognised today, especially when he was with Emma. Looking at the time, he had to hurry. Henry put Kal on the leash and walked to their meeting point.

He spied Emma standing at the corner next to the statue. She was looking at her phone, smiling. There was a light breeze ruffling through her hair and picking up the skirt of her dress. The sun was shining on her hair, bringing out the auburn highlights she had. He stood there watching her for a moment. She was beautiful and affected him more then she should. Kal, excited to see his new friend so soon, ran right up to her, and pushed his cold nose at her legs. Startled, she let out a small squeak and looked down.

“Hey buddy, you really surprised me there. How are you?” she laughed and stroked his head. Looking up, she saw Henry standing in front of her and her heart skipped a beat. He was looking directly at her.

“Hi” she smiled at him. He smiled back. “Hi, how was your day so far?”

“Great, really loved the Tower of London, and yours?” “A little gruelling” he grinned.

“Shall we go into the park?” She nodded and they crossed the street. Henry took them to a more secluded path and they started to walk side by side with Kal in front of them.

They started to talk. She told him about her day and the day before. “And then I realised that the two girls were also German. I swear everywhere I go I meet at least one. When I was in China..”

“You have been in China?”

“Yes, I did a semester abroad when I did my master degree. 6 months in Shanghai. It was amazing. When I was done with my classes, I travelled with a friend I met there. We were in Beijing, on the subway and were talking about the German travel group that we had seen in the Forbidden City and then on the next day at martial art show. Next to us was a foreigner and at the next stop he had to leave, he asked us if he could pass in German, and I was like: “Another German”, he laughed and said “no Swiss!” and waved goodbye. After Beijing we went to Xi'an, back to Shanghai and on the second part of trip to Guilin, which is in the south of China. They have an amazing landscape there, the mountains of the 20 yen note are based on them. Anyway, one day we booked a day trip to the rice terraces and you won't believe who was in that small bus taking the same trip. It was the Swiss guy from Beijing.”

“What a coincidence” “Yeah, tell me about it. You probably have been there too?”

“Yes, several times. Promotion work and so on. I really enjoyed the Chinese Wall. I was there in October. It was really warm” smiling he remembered the amazing experience.

“Me too, we went there in January though. It was really cold early in the morning, but the view...it is spectacular” she signed “No smog, clear blue skies. You could see for miles and miles. Not many people around. One of the most memorising places I ever been. Except for Huang Shan.”

“I never been there, what's that?”

“It's also a mountain range, located in the east of China, about 450 kms from Shanghai. It's breathtaking. One of the UNESCO heritage sites. I can show you some pictures, if you like, when I have Wi-Fi again. I don't have them on my phone, but my blog is still online.”

“You have a blog?” he asked curious

“I did at that time, used it as a sort of diary, you know, for my friends and family. My Mum used to print out pages for my grandma to read“

“That's nice of her, when were you there?” He was curious about her age. She looked young, maybe 25, but it did not fit they way talked she about her life, with an master's degree and already working for a least a few years.

“Autumn / Winter 2014. Afterwards I took my last exams, and did my master thesis at the company I now work at.”

“That makes you?” She laughed. “Are you trying to guess my age?” He nodded sheepishly. “Then guess away”

“That's not fair.“ He laughed. “I had you at maybe 25, but that does not fit, does it?”

“ No, I'm not 25, but I do look younger than I am.” “So, will you put me out of my misery?”

“Well, maybe, if you ask nicely.” she winked.

Shaking his head, Henry chuckled“Okay, I yield, Will you tell me your birthday and age? Please?”

“Its 7th of July, and I'm turning 29 this year. How old are you?”

“So you have not googled me yet” he laughed. He was afraid she had after meeting him, it was always a little bit creepy. There was so much on him online, some information true, a lot of it not.

”No, I haven't, should I? Are you harbouring a dark secret?”

“Well, I can't stop you, but I hope you can get to know me the old fashion way” he looked at her with an intense look in his eyes, which made her feel all warm and fuzzy.

“That's a quite convincing argument. Then you just have to tell me everything about you” Emma said teasingly.

“I'm looking forward to it” he held her gaze again and smiled.

“So, how old are you then?“ she tried to get her beating heart under control.

“Just turned 37 some weeks ago. Funny, your birthday is exactly 2 months and 2 days after mine.”

“Well, then you should be able to remember it hopefully”

“I will try. Though I'm bad with dates” he admitted.

They continued to talk about China and travelling for a while, sharing stories. The sun was high in the sky, shining down on them, the lane was only partly covered by trees. Emma enjoyed her conversation with Henry immensely. He was so humble and open with her. Time flew by.

Touching her shoulder gently, her skin felt slightly hot. “What's wrong?” Henry noticed her behavior.

“My shoulders feel kind of warm, like there is a sun burn coming. I put on sun screen this morning, but it seems, I need to do it again.“

Looking at her slender shoulders he saw a slight redness. “Yes, there is definitely some pink there. But from the London sun? Are you sure you're not English?” he laughed.

“Yes, I'm quite sure” she said in a mocked accent “But I need to be careful” She stopped and stepped off the path, put down her purse and took out her bottle of sunscreen.

“I see you come prepared.” “Always” she winked at him.

“Here, let me help you” Henry offered. She looked surprised but handed him the bottle and she took over the leash. Since yesterday, he wanted to touch her skin. Now he had the opportunity.

Lightly tracing his fingertips from her shoulder to the base of her neck, he marvelled at the soft skin under his fingers. When she shivered slightly he knew that she was affected by his touch. He pushed her hair over one shoulder, lingering a few moments on her neck. Breathing in the scent of her hair, he groaned inwardly, she smelled heavenly. Another shiver and he could see goose bumps on her arm. He grinned. Putting some lotion on his hands, he started applying it gently on her shoulders, slightly massaging. She let out an almost inaudible small moan which went straight into his core. Her head hung slightly down, giving him access to her neck. He let his finger travel to the side of her throat, evoking another shiver from her. Henry pushed the straps of her dress a little bit to the side. “Is that ok?” he whispered softly in her ear.

She just nodded. He continued on her shoulders, his fingertips slightly grazing her clavicle. From his position behind her he was able to see the top of her breast, his hands itching to travel further south. But he restrained himself, it was not something he wanted to do in a public place.

When he was done, his hands lingered on her shoulders, slightly tracing patters with his thumps, not yet ready to let her go. Enjoying the feeling of her skin beneath his fingers, her scent surrounding him. He closed his eyes for a moment. He felt her move, turning her head towards him. He opened his eyes and could see the blush on her face. She was looking directly in his eyes, holding his gaze. He could see her pupils dilating and she was biting her lip. He lowered his head towards her, just stopping inches before her lips, her eyes fluttered close and then he pressed his lips against her in chaste kiss. Her lips felt soft against his. After a few moments he pulled back.

She opened her eyes and could see a boyish grin on his face. Turning fully towards him, she stood on her toes and kissed him. This time the kiss grew more heated, his hands went to her waist, pulling her against him. Emma sneaked her hands to the nape of his neck, touching his hair. She was pressed against him, feeling his hard muscles against her body. His hand travelled up her spine to her neck. A low moan erupted in the back of her throat. This made him tighten his embrace. Her body felt wonderful underneath his hands. He wanted more, but not here. He slightly pulled away, resting his head against her forehead. Her breathing was laboured, as was his.

“That was...wow..I might need a minute” she said breathlessly. He chuckled softly. “Take all the time you need”

She tried to get her breathing and the beating of her heart under control. He was still holding her, which suited her just fine, she wasn't sure her legs would support her. Suddenly, she felt something cold and wet at her knees. Kal, getting bored, tried to push himself between them. Henry felt it too and laughed. “Yes, buddy we have not forgotten about you” He laughed, “Always the centre of attention.”

“I think he wants to continue.” Emma mused.

“Shall we then?” She nodded. She picked up the bottle which Henry had put on the ground, putting it back into her back in her purse. When she looked up, he was back on the lane, Kal at his feet, holding out a hand to her. She blushed again and smilingly took his hand, intertwining her fingers through his. They continued their walk in comfortable silence.

Her hand felt so right in his. Like it had been there already a million times, rather then just now. The kiss had intensified everything that he felt before. The urge to get to know her, spending as much time in her company as possible. It also deepened another urge of him, to hold her in his arms, to explore her body. He never felt such a connection with somebody, especially so soon. It was scary. But she was like a breath of fresh air, and he wanted to take in as much as he could.

“So back to the dark secrets” She interrupted his thoughts. “Yes?” “Will you tell me some?”

“Some sounds so indefinite. I'll tell you three, but only in exchange for three things from you.

“You drive a hard bargain, but fine. You start” she laughed.

“Ok first, you won't believe it now, but I was fat when I was young, I only started to loose weight when I was older and started to play rugby in school and when I was cast in a movie“

She looked at him disbelievingly. “Really? I can't believe that.”

“Yes, they called my fat Cavill in boarding school” “You are kidding.” “No, scouts honour.” “I want proof.”

“We'll see about that, now it's your turn”

She thought for a moment “I'm clumsy as hell, I have injured myself basically at every kind of sport I ever did or tried to do. I have broken several bones and I can't even count the numbers of bruises I had from running into doors, tables and so on.”

He laughed. “What did you mean you have broken several bones?”

“I have fallen of a horse, and broke my arm, when I was about six. The scars are still there.” Showing him her left elbow, there were two faded scars running almost 10cm long.

“While a I was a teenager, I tore my ligament on my right knee, while trying to learn how to ski. A year later, I sprained my thumb and little finger during PE while trying to play volleyball. I also played handball at that time, when I broke the same arm again, but this time the forearm and I broke my finger in the same year also at handball practice. Later I started to dance ball room, there I overstressed my Achilles tendon. The final straw, was when I was in China, one afternoon we had a friendly game of basketball, well it was not really a game, rather then people just throwing some hoops. I broke my ring finger. Also left hand. As you can see, me and moving don't match.”

During her whole count, Henry could not stop laughing.

“It's not funny” Emma pouted.

“I'm sorry it is, that is really quite a list. Nothing in the last years though?”

“Well, apart from the time I sprained my right ankle at one of my friend's wedding dancing in flats, while being sober. No. But you can see there is a pattern, left arm, right leg” He was still laughing, she tried to look irritated, but couldn't keep a straight face for very long and grinned too. “Your second secret”

“I love fried food. You might think with my life style and exercise regime, that I would go for the healthy choice, but put fish and chips in front of me, I will choose them every time. When I order take out, they usually ask for how many people I'm ordering.”

“But that's not much of a thing, just common sense.” she argued. “It is, it surprises people all the time.” “Well, I let it pass, but only this time.”

“What's your second?” “I don't like “grown up” drinks.” He looked at her confused. “Grown up drinks?”

“I do not like coffee, beer, wine, nor hard liquor, except some cocktails, and I have to confess, I hope you will not hate me afterwards, but I also do not like tea.” He stopped walking and turned to her. “You do know that with that statement you will be deported. But honestly, how can you not like coffee or tea, what do you drink then?”

“Hot chocolate”

“All right, and you don't like beer or wine? You are a strange one. How do you get drunk then?”

“I don't really get drunk. I like some cocktails, but shots and so on, they never appealed to me. I do not like the smell nor the taste. There you have it, I'm quite boring.” she admitted.

“People automatically think when you are famous that you are going to parties all the time, but honestly I'm boring too. Sure, promotions and so on, but I rather stay at home, or go to the pub, for a pint and some rugby or football but that's about all I usually do these days.”

“Really? I can't believe that”

“Its true, when I was younger, that was a different story, but now, there are other things that are more important to me.” he said, more serious than before. “You have to stay grounded, otherwise this business, more like a circus really, gets in your head, it changes you, and I learned that lesson.“

Emma was curious, but he seemed lost in thought, so she didn't push. She caressed his hand with her thumb. He squeezed hers in return and smiled.

“So does this count as number three?” “No, of course not” she laughed.

“Ok, then here it comes, I'm a huge nerd.” She turned to him in surprise. “What do you mean with nerd?” “I'm a gamer, computer games especially, WoW and so on. I got into the Witcher saga because I played the game and then read the books. When I heard they were thinking about making the TV show, I badgered my agent to get me into the audition, because I loved the books and games so much. I missed the phone call for Superman because I was playing WoW.”

Her shoulders shook with laughter. “Really, that's what happened.”

“What is WoW?” she asked him. “World of Warcraft. It's a multiplayer online fantasy role game. With quests and raids and so on. But there is a whole lore behind it. I also read a lot of fantasy books, if I have the time.”

“What are you favourite authors, other than the one from the Witcher?”

“You mean Andrzej Sapkowski? David Gemmeli, Raymond E Feist, Brandon Sanders, especially the Stormlight saga and Naomi Novik.” “Never heard of them.”

“If you like fantasy, you should definitely check them out sometime.”

“Well, I love the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit and read the Fire and Ice saga. Maybe I will. You can never go wrong with a new reading series.” she smiled.

“No games?”

“No, none at all, I don't even own a Wii”

“How did you get into the Witcher, just found it on Netflix?”

“I watched the Witcher because my best friend loves the games and the books, just like you.”

“She has good taste” he chuckled. “Yes, she does. She is a huge nerd, like seriously”

“And did you like it? I mean story wise?”

“I did, sometimes I was a little bit lost, with all the time jumps, but I definitely have the books on my list now.”

“What else do you read?”

“Other than fantasy? Mixed mostly, some crime like Tess Gerritsen, some classics like Austen and the occasional romance in between.”

“No surprise there. So what is you third deep dark secret?”

“That didn't count?” “No, out with it”

Emma huffed. “Well, if you insist. I love Disney, movies, music...I have a big collection at home and I have watched them, like a lot. I sing along to the songs and I have been to most of the Disney musicals that are available in Germany, some even twice.” she smiled sheepishly.

“What's your favourite?” “Mulan, I can't wait for the live action movie, although I heard that they have taken out Shang, which is such a pity.”

“And only the classic Disney, or also Marvel and Star Wars?” Henry knew he was moving on thin ice here, talking about Marvel would lead automatically to Superman. He was curious whether she had seen more movies of him.

“Well, I have seen most of the Star Wars movies. I'm boycotting Episode 1-3, though. However, although they are good movies, for me it was never that hype. I watched all the Marvel Avengers movies and origin stories. Captain America is my favourite. Not such a big fan of the X-men however. Concerning DC..”

She raised an eyebrow at him, “I have another confession to make..I never saw Man of Steel. I saw Superman vs Batman..don't take it personally, but that whole Martha story..I know why its there, I read an interview afterwards, but while watching it, it just made no sense. Your bashing your heads, he almost kills you, you say the name, and suddenly you're best friends? Justice League was ok I guess, I loved Aquaman and Wonder woman, I can't wait for the sequels of both. Now I have said too much. I'm sorry..” she held her breath, suddenly really nervous.

“No, it's ok, everybody has his opinion” he laughed. “So, Captain America?”

Emma blushed. “Yes, maybe because his origin story started in the 40s, I love old music. And he is like a really good guy and it does not hurt that Chris Evans is easy on the eyes. Oh my god, I can't believe I just said that.” she turned even a deeper red and tried to turn away.

Henry just laughed. “Now that I know who my competition is, I will be less nice to him next time I meet him.” She looked at him with big eyes, but then joined him in his laughter.

They talked more about movies and shows, swapping opinions. Arriving at another gate, they stopped. Emma stomach grumbled loudly. “Are you hungry?” Looking at his phone, he saw that it was almost 5 pm, they spent two hours walking in the park” “Yes, slowly but surely. Wow, look at the time” she said, as she checked her phone as well

“Time seems to have flown by..I have a proposal, you don't have to, if you don't want, but do you want to come over to my house for dinner? I can quickly throw something together...I honestly don't want to end our time just yet..”

She averted her eyes.“Henry, I really like spending time with you, but..I don't know how to say this..”

“Just say it, it's okay”

“When I come over, things might move further and with me just being here on holiday...I don't think..I rather..I like you, you know, and I shouldn't even think about this..but..if it just for the days that I'm here..you know,like a holiday fling..then I rather go now, it would be better..”

He could not let her finish that thought, pulling her suddenly against him, he gave her a searing kiss, his hands going in her hair and on her waist, crushing her to him and holding her tight. Surprised by his sudden move, she didn't react for a moment. Then her arms encircled his neck and she kissed him back. He pulled away staring in her eyes. “Whatever happens, it is definitely no holiday fling for me. Trust me.” he placed another light kiss on her lips and gave her one of his dazzling smiles. She nodded. “So now, what about dinner?” he asked nonchalant, she snorted. “Yes, I would love to have dinner with you.”

\---------

When they turned into his street, she looked around. Most of the small two story housings had a brick-facade, some overgrown with vines. “They look so cute.”

“They are called mew houses, most of them were stables which were converted to housing space some years ago.“

“So that's why it's called royal mew? I always wondered about that”

“Yes, though they are much bigger of course, and there are still actual horses” They stopped in front of one of them. Kal already walking towards the door.

“As you can see, this one is mine, he is already impatient. Probably just eager for his dinner.” He was a little nervous, it had been quite some time, that he brought somebody back to his house who was not a friend or family. In the last few years, he had become very protective of his private life. Still sharing some photos and stories on Instagram, but not like this.

Henry opened the door and showed Emma his home. “It's really beautiful, I love that it feels so cosy. Almost like cottage” “Thank you, I know it is not big, but it is home. And it's enough for me and Kal.” Her stomach grumbled again, more loudly this time.

“Okay, so food next? How about just some simple pasta. Is there anything you don't like?”

“Ehm, mushrooms, anything related to cabbage including broccoli, eggplant and I don't like raw onions.” “Okay I can work with that, why don't you just have a seat.”

She sat down at the table which was next the kitchen island and he started to gather the ingredients.“So do you like to cook?” she asked, while he was working “Yes, what about you?”

“I know how to cook the basics, but I like baking much more than cooking. The drawers of my cabinets are overflowing with spatulas, piping tips, backing pans and so on.” Kal sat next to her and she started to stroke his head and scratch his hears. The dog closed his eyes.

“Does that means you will bake a cake for me?” “That could be negotiated” she raised one eyebrow and smirked.

“I'm cooking dinner, so that should be enough, shouldn't it?” he chuckled, dicing some garlic and tomatoes. The way she was sitting there, entertaining him while he cooked, Kal at her feet, he could picture her being there all the time.

“Well, you did invite me here for dinner by your own free choice, and I don't even know yet, whether its any good. So, let's see” she teased. “You drive a hard bargain” She laughed.

When the sauce was simmering and the pasta cooking in the water, Henry sat next to her at the table. She was just telling him about the some of dishes she tried in China, when he took her hand in his and began to draw small circles on it with his fingers. She paused a moment. Leaning forward she kissed him. He eagerly kissed her back, tucking on her hand to draw her closer. She ended up in his lap, sitting sideways on his legs

She pressed herself against him and encircled her arms around his neck, pushing her fingers in his hair, massaging his scalp with her fingertips. She wanted to do that the whole day. He groaned. Tracing her bottom lip with his tongue he requested access to her mouth, which she gladly gave. He explored her mouth, his tongue meeting hers. She whimpered. The hand laying on her waist, travelled up on her sides, to reach her breast. Cursing inwardly that she was wearing a dress, so he couldn't touch her skin while going upwards. She could feel him beneath him. She wanted nothing more than to straddle him and gain the friction her body so desperately craved.

He had almost reached her breast, when an alarm went off, pulling them both out of the moment. She looked at him with hooded eyes, her lips swollen and red from their kissing. His cellphone which was set as a timer for the pasta, kept beeping and he groaned. “I think I have to check on the pasta” She nodded, sliding down from his lap and stood up a little shaky. He loved the effect he had on her.

“Stop smirking,” she called him out, which turned the smirk in a laugh. Henry drained the pasta, pouring it in the pan with the sauce, stirring. Emma moved over to him breathing in the aroma. “It smells delicious. Is there anything I can do? Like set the table?” He nodded, pointing to one of the cabinets. “Plates are over there, the glasses are in the cabinet on the left.”

They sat down to eat, when she took her first bite, she moaned. The flavours exploded in her mouth, the tomato sauce was simple, but exceptionally good. “Henry, this tastes amazing” she turned to him, just to catch him staring at her. “What is it, do I have something on my face?”

“No, I just.. you really make interesting noises. That's all, but I'm happy you like it.”

She blushed. “Sorry”

“Don't apologise, I like them” She blushed even more deeply. ”So, now that we have established that you like my cooking, does that mean, that you will bake for me?” he asked when they were done.

“Alright, you got me convinced, how about some brownies or cinnamon buns?” “How about both?”

“Yeah sure, I give you the little finger, you take the whole arm, does that make sense in English?” she laughed

“I rather take you completely, not just your arm” he grinned. “Do you now?” “Yes, I have it on good authority that you would not object”

“Cocky, are we?” her brow shot up, “Yes, maybe..” and he started to run his fingertips along her arms, which caused her shiver. She closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling and sighed. She leaned into his touch. “I rest my case”

Her eyes opened. She looked irritated, but it changed quickly to a teasing smile. She stood up, standing in front of him, her chest now on the level of his eyes. He liked this very much indeed. Emma lightly stroked his jaw and moved her fingers to his mouth She slowly traced his lips. He saw her biting her lip again, which drove him crazy. He reached for her, but she moved away with another sexy smile. Turning around she walked over to the living room and called out to him. “Are you coming, or not?”

He grinned and followed her to his couch. Before she was able to sit down, he was embracing her from behind. “I don't seem to be able to keep my hands of you. What have you done to me?” he whispered in her ear. She leaned her head against his chest, enjoying the embrace. It felt so right to be his in strong arms. He buried his nose in her hair, breathing in deeply. They stayed like this for some time, his fingers caressing her arms. He kissed her hair, she sighed. Feeling warm and safe, she didn't want to leave. “Shall we move to the couch?” She nodded and they sat down, he put his arm around her shoulder, drawing her to him, she lay her head on his chest, hearing his heartbeat.

“I hate to ask, but how long are you staying?” Henry didn't like to breach this topic, but he had to know, so they could plan. He wanted to make the most of their time together, hoping she would as well.

She sighed. “I leave on Friday in the afternoon. I have to be back to work on Monday.”

So they had another two full days, and Friday morning. That was more than he expected but much less then he wanted.

“Ok, and what else is on your list for your trip?” “I plan to see St. Pauls, the Royal Mews, the British Museum, the National Gallery, the Natural History Museum...”

“That's quite a list..” “Yeah..I thought I go all in..”

“I mean, if you want to explore London, I can fully understand that, but maybe you would like to spend some more time with me?”

“Oh Henry, of course, I would love to do that, but I didn't want to assume. Surely, you have also plans the next days.”

“Nothing that can't be rescheduled, Emma. I want to spend as much time with you as possible. I want to get you know you. Hell, you wouldn't even need to go back to the hotel at all and stay here” he confessed.

“Stay here?” She looked at him with wide eyes.

Henry was surprised by his statement. He groaned mentally, she probably thought he was crazy. “Yes, I mean...no, I know that this is a crazy idea, please don't think at any moment that I would assume anything, it was just a thought that popped up, you know, trying to make the most of your time here...I don't even know why I even suggested it, I mean of course...Ok now I'm rambling.”

He looked flustered and Emma started to giggle. “Yes you are, I mean, yeah it would be convenient.”

“And in any case, please don't think there is any expectation or pressure, nothing will happen that you don't want. I would sleep on the couch, if you decided that you would like to stay here.” He wasn't sure whether he was making things even worse, but he wanted Emma to trust him. She was blushing, but looked less shocked than before. Henry changed the topic.

“You wanted so show me the pictures of those mountains from China.”

“Yeah right, can I have your wifi password?” When she was connected to the Wi-fi, she ignored several messages and pulled up her old blog. She knew she could just show some pictures from Google, but she had the urge to tell him everything about her.

“So this is my blog, I'm sorry it's all in German, just let me scroll through the posts to the correct one.” There she was, smiling at him in many pictures, most of them with friends, some of her alone. She looked so young, her hair was redder than it was now, but the same beautiful face and mesmerizing brown eyes. There were several pictures with her and a boy and he could feel a spurge of jealousy. She had mentioned a friend, but they seemed very familiar with each other.

“Did you have red hair?”

“Yes, at that time I dyed it. Ahh, here there are” She clicked on the pictures and the mountains she described went up the screen. They were really impressive and magnificent. One of the pictures was with her and friends again. Two guys and one girl, making a funny pose.

“Did you all meet in China?”

“Yes and no” she pointed on the girl and one of the guys. “Those two, no, we studied together and decided all independently that we would like to go a semester abroad, discovering it by accident. The other guy also studied at the same university, but a different major. He was the assigned roommate of my friend. Funny story, I was terrified in that picture because we were fairly close to the edge. You see, I'm really afraid of heights, which they didn't know when we started out. There were rails everywhere, but still I always stayed a few meters away. Earlier when we took one of the first pictures I was really nervous. He pretended to push me, and I just lost it. He apologised immediately of course. So in this picture he offered to stand between me and the edge,so I would feel safer. They were all so accommodating. We went up and down on different hills, there were thousands of stairs. Going up was no problem, but down was a different story. The side on the edge had a rail, but the other one, the one I chose, did not, there was just bare stone, so I had nothing to hold on basically, end of story, they each took turns holding my hand while we were going down. Embarrassing I know.“

He loved how she just opened up about herself, telling him stories about her life without any pretence or airs. She seemed so honest and unassuming. “No, it sounds like an amazing adventure. I'm lucky I'm not afraid of heights, it would make my job much harder. I spent countless days in a helicopter on the mountain side when shooting Mission Impossible Fallout and even I was sometimes really nervous.“

“Oh the famous moustache” she laughed. “So you know about that?”

“Henry, nobody who heard about that movie and Justice League, doesn't know about that moustache.” Emma teased. “Although I do like this version much more.”

She stroked his jaw with a days worth of stubble. He couldn't resist the urge to kiss her again, which she returned eagerly. It took only few moments to turn her into mush in his arms. He ran his hands along her body and when he finally grazed the sides of her breasts, she whimpered. Reassured by her reaction, Henry moved his hands to encircle her whole breast, lightly brushing against it with his thumbs, eliciting a moan from her.

Emma shifted, straddling his lap without breaking their heated kiss. He was already hard, having her now sitting directly on him, made it impossible not to groan from the impact. Only a few layers separated him from the place he wanted to be. She felt him underneath her and the tightening in her core increased and she could not resist to slightly circle her hips. Creating the delicious friction she craved, she whimpered again. When Emma moved her hips, he thought he might embarrass him right there, feeling more like a teenager than a grown man.

He moved to touch her thighs, inching higher below the hem of dress. They were soft and he stroked them, trying to resist to move too high. Somewhere in his mind, he remembered that he wanted to take things slow. But with her moving her hips, one hand in his hair, the other one moving to his chest, she made it very difficult to resist. He only had to stand up and carry her to his bedroom. On the bed he would be able to take off her dress and explore her without any constraints. Finding out whether her blush was only limited to her face, whether the curves which her dress only hinted at, were as delicious has he expected them to be. To touch her and leave trails of kisses on her breasts, abdomen and move lower.

In the end the need for air saved him. He pulled away, looking at her face, her eyes had darkened to almost black, her chest was heaving and lips swollen. She looked at him with desire and longing and he was sure she saw the same in his eyes.

“Emma, if we don't stop soon, I can not guarantee you that I will be able to” he said, his voice low with desire.

“Maybe I don't want you to” she mumbled. He inwardly groaned, willing himself to stay focused.

“I think you do. I can't think of anything I rather do than take you to my bedroom and ravish you...But in the end I promised no pressure.”

She looked at him with those big eyes and he knew it was the right decision, when he saw the glimmer of hesitation. He touched her cheek. “You are so beautiful, so enticing, especially when you have been thoroughly kissed.” He ran his thumb over her lips and she opened her mouth slightly. “and when you look like this, it is really hard to resist, but we should” She closed her eyes for a moment and when she opened them again she nodded.

“Yes you're right”, she moved down from him. “May I use your bathroom”

“Sure, it's down the hallway on the left.”

Emma went to the bathroom. While washing her hands, she tried to get her reaction under control. She was more than attracted to him. If he had moved to the bedroom, she would have followed him there and eagerly. But he was right, it was way too early for this step, especially because she felt herself already falling for him. Hard and fast, which was scary. Even more so when she thought about their situation. Not only living in two different countries, but also his job and the fact he was famous made everything a lot more complicated. His hectic schedule, months of shooting all over the world, acting with other women, kissing other women..she wasn't sure whether she could cope with that. But the way he looked at her..it drove all her doubts to the back to her mind. All she wanted right now was to enjoy the moment. They would have to talk, and soon, but not tonight.

He went into the kitchen to get something to drink. They needed to cool off, maybe watch a movie or talk some more. He loved their talks. He enjoyed her stories, her little quirks. Her life was so different from his. Hearing to sound of the bathroom door open, he returned to the living room, carrying their glasses and another bottle of water. Setting them down on the couch table, he looked up and saw Emma standing in the the doorway with an uncertain look.

“Everything alright?” he sounded unsure. “Yes” she smiled at him and he returned it with another one of his dazzling smiles. They returned to their position on the couch before their make out sessions, he took her hand lancing their fingers together and both enjoyed the feeling of just being in each others company.

Henry didn't remember the last time when he lost control like that and made out like a horny teenager. But with her everything seemed to click into place. They knew each other for a day, but for him it felt already much more. He hoped he could convince her stay and from there they needed to figure it out. One step at the time.

Henry looked down on Emma, she had her eyes closed, a slight smile playing on her lips. From his position he could count the freckles on her face. She opened her eyes and caught his stare.

“Can I help you?”she teased.

“No, I'm quite satisfied with the view, thank you very much” she chuckled.

“Will you tell me about your family?” she asked.

“Well, I was born and raised on Jersey, which is the biggest one of the channel islands between England and France. I have four brothers, I'm the second youngest. My mum was staying at home at that time to look after us, my dad is a stock broker. When I was a teenager, I was sent to boarding school on the mainland, which I did not really like at the time.” He continued to tell her about her brothers and some of the crazy things they got in to in their youth. Emma loved his calm deep voice, especially with his accent. It seemed that not everything had been easy for him when growing up, but she didn't want to pry. “and now all of them are married and with children. What about you? Do you have any siblings?”

“No, I'm an only child. My parents split when I was eight. My dad moved to the States two years later. I used to visit him during summer vacation, but in the last few years, it's just birthday calls and such..My mum and I moved several times due to her work, returning to Düsseldorf, her home town when I was fifteen. She met her husband when I was in my first year at university. My boyfriend at that time and I decided to move in together in student housing near the uni and she moved in with him. He has two children from his first marriage, who lived with their mother, they are five years younger than me and we never got really close. Only meeting when we visited them the same time by coincidence. But that's ok.”

“How many times did you move?” he asked surprised.

“Six times, before I finished high school, two of them only within the town we were living, but yeah I went to five different schools. Three different elementary schools and two high schools. “

“Wow that's a lot, why?”

“Both of my parents were still in university when my mum got pregnant, so they decided to move where the first one got a job. That's why we moved from my place of birth to South Germany, when I was four. When they split up my mum moved closer to her work. Two years later, the company, she worked for got sold and we moved to Swiss / French border close to her new company. We moved to a new house within the same village after some time. When I was fifteen, she wanted to change jobs, live closer to her family and to her boyfriend, so we moved back to Düsseldorf, then she bought a flat, which is the flat I'm currently living in. The moving didn't stop afterwards though” she laughed” “When I moved out the first time, I moved another few times, due my bachelor thesis and of course China. Let's just say, I'm good at packing.”

“Did you regret it? I hated to be pulled from everything I knew and send somewhere else. Now it's ok, because I got used to it, and I have Kal as my company, but at that time I really struggled.”

“It was not ideal for sure, but I found friends in every place and it always gave me new opportunities, too. We were an unconventional family, anyway. My mum had to travel a lot at that time, so we had several au-pairs. They are the reason, why I'm good at English, believe me I'm not good with languages. Now I read books and watch movies, shows in English. We even have a cinema in Düsseldorf where they show movies in OV. It would drive me mad if that wasn't around.“ she laughed again.

“I was wondering about that. Your accent doesn't sound typical German”

“Three of them were Canadian. I used to watch my shows online in English because I didn't want to wait until they were shown in Free TV, now I can't stand German dubbing. My French is horrible though and my Chinese non existent now. Do you speak other languages?”

“Italian, French, Spanish. I can speak some German. I make it a habit to at least know how to order a beer in any country I stay for longer.“

“You know German? So I need to be careful what I say” She laughed.

“Maybe” he joined her laughter. “Well, now I have a reason to learn more, I bet you can teach me all the swear words”

“What is it with people always wanting to learn the swear words? I never understood it. I mean, if I say shit and fuck everybody knows what I mean. Also in Germany.” “Do you swear a lot?”

“Mostly while driving or at my computer. You know the usual areas were such language is required.” He sniggered.

Time flew by while Henry and Emma exchanged more stories about growing up and their families. Kal joined them on the sofa at one point. Choosing Emma's side, he put his head on her lap, Henry pulled her legs over his. She stroked Kals head, while Henry started to run his hands along her bare legs.

“He is really cute und so ein Kuschelbär” “ A what?” “A cuddle bear”

“Yes, he is. I can't imagine my life without him any more. Usually take him everywhere I go and he is such good sport about it. He seems to like you very much, he definitely thinks you are better at cuddling than I am. Shame on you, buddy”

“ Maybe he thinks I'm more comfortable. Man of Steel is quite fitting you know..” She looked over his broad chest and flat abdomen. He laughed. “Who could blame him. I wouldn't say no to lying my head there and have you stroke my hair” “I'm sorry but you are too late now, you have to be faster the next time” “Count on it” his sexy smile made her blush.

“You know, you are awfully cute as well, especially when you blush” “I can't help it, it just happens” she groaned putting her hand over her eyes.

“As I said, I find it very cute.” He leaned over to kiss her cheeks, her nose and then her lips. When he pulled back, she opened her eyes. With his face so near, she realised that his left eye had a little brown spot.

When Henry got up to get more water, Emma quickly picked up her phone from the coffee table. When she looked at the time, she let out a surprised gasp. “ Henry, it's already after midnight. I can't believe it. I should head back to the hotel.“

“I can't convince you to stay?” She looked up. “Not tonight, I don't have anything to sleep in, or even a toothbrush”

“You can borrow a T-shirt and pyjama pants and I'm sure I have a spare toothbrush somewhere” he joked. “I'm serious” “So am I” he responded.

She paused for a moment “How about tomorrow? Then I can bring some things.”

His heart skipped a beat. “I take that offer, before you make up your mind again. I'll have another training session in the morning, but then I'm free, maybe at like 1 pm? We can decide what to do then. I like to avoid crowds but we'll find something.”

“Ok, shall I come directly here? You might need to tell me the address again, otherwise I won't find it.” She smiled sheepishly.

“I can also pick you up if you'd like.” “Hmm I'll go to St. Pauls in the morning, I think it would be faster for me to just go back to the hotel. This way I also don't have to carry my stuff around half of London. If it's ok for you?.”

“No problem, I don't wont you to get lost.” “I do usually have a good sense of orientation, once I have been somewhere a few times.” she laughed.

Emma moved to stand up, which woke Kal from his slumber. Looking a bit put off, he shook his head and jumped down, walking over to his own bed. “Oh I'm sorry buddy, can you forgive me?” she laughed. Henry just shook his head over the antics of his dog.

“Shall I drive you to the hotel? I don't want to you walking around London all alone at night.”

“That would be nice.” She stood in front of him, smiling up to him. He embraced her, putting his face in the crook of her shoulders. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed herself against his chest. Peppering her shoulders with kisses he moved up her throat, nibbling just below her ear, he earned himself another sigh.

“Henry, you are not playing fair.“ “That's because I don't want to.” he chuckled. He moved along her face and to her mouth. Soon, the light kisses grew more passionate. He could not get enough of kissing her. She was standing on her tip toes to reach him better. His hands moved below her waist on the small of her back. Then they reached lower to lightly cup her perky ass. Pushing her against his him.

“Feel what you do to me?” he whispered. Her response was another whimper and a small rotation with her hips, causing him to grow even harder and moan. She turned to a puddle of mush at his touch. Not able to form any coherent thoughts any more, she just enjoyed the feeling of his lips on her. Nibbling on her bottom lip, stroking his tongue against hers in a dominant dance. He seemed to be everywhere at once, his hands all over her body, his delicious scent enveloping her. It took all her will power to draw back.

“Definitely not fair” “Did it work?”

“Almost, but I still have to get back” “If you really have to” he pouted.

“Yes, but you make it very difficult.” “Then let's get you back.” he held out his hand and she took it.

When they got to his car. She smiled. “You drive a Bentley?” “Yes, it's the one I keep close, I also have a few others models. As I said, I like fast cars”

“How many are a few?” “A few” she sniggered at his response. “It is one of my guilty pleasures”

“What ever helps you sleep at night” still laughing she got in his black vehicle. She gave him the address and he started to drive. When he didn't have to shift, he laid his hand on her leg.

They arrived in the street of the hotel and Henry parked the vehicle. “So tomorrow, at 1?” he turned to face her.

“Yes, I'm looking forward to it...It was an amazing day..” “I think so too, I can't wait for tomorrow.“ He cradled her face in his hands and kissed her gently. “Good night Emma, sweet dreams.” he said softly. “You too Henry” She got out of the vehicle, and moved to the driver side, Henry let down the window. She leaned in, grabbed his shirt and pulled him towards her for another heated kiss.

When they came up for air, she gave him another peck on the lips. “Tomorrow night, Henry” she shot him another grin and walked away. He stared at her, swaying her hips until she entered the building. He definitely needed a cold shower when he came home. Henry smirked, he couldn't wait to finally explore Emma in every possible way.

-3-

The next day started at the same time as the last. Emma opened her eyes. Her face was flush and she felt hot. Her dream was still vivid on her mind. Henry above her, their hands joined over her head. His face gleaming with sweat while he drove into her. Her back arched, meeting him in every thrust. Her breathing came fast. She wanted him, desperately. Trying to calm her racing heart, she stood up and showered. Getting dressed was turning out to be a problem again. Underwear wise she did not have anything special with her, some black boyshorts with lace with a matching bra, chosen for comfort rather than sexiness. Having worn both dresses, she had to choose her short pants and a top with some lace covering her cleavage and her arms with short sleeves, again in her favourite colour blue.

Packing her bag for the night, her heart beat faster. She knew he wanted her stay until her departure, but somehow she was hesitant. She always could come back and take the rest of her things. A kind of safety net.

Her phone vibrated. She didn't read through her messages yesterday, choosing rather to go to bed directly, so she could get some much needed sleep after a long day. Most of them were group chats. Another message from her best friend inquiring about her day. She sent back a short answer. She did not yet know how tell her about Henry. Currently, she wanted to keep him to herself, in the little bubble they seemed to have created around them. Telling anybody would make it too real.

Then she checked the message Henry sent her.

_H: Good morning, Beautiful. I hope you slept well. Enjoy your day. See you at 1. Already counting the hours._

Her heart beat faster, when she read the endearment.

_E: I did, had some wonderful dreams, maybe they'll become true ;)_

She went down for breakfast and walked to King Cross to take the Tube to St. Paul's Cathedral. The majestic cathedral fascinated her since she saw Mary Poppins for the first time. The song “Feed the birds” making an impact. While standing in front of the impressive white building, she could not stop herself from humming the melody. The inside was even more breathtaking. Slowly she walked around inside the cathedral and the tombs. Emma still had some time left before she had to head back to the hotel and decided to walk over the Millennium bridge and to the Shakespeare Globe Theatre and the Tate.

The view from the bridge was amazing, the sun reflecting on the water of the river. It was another beautiful day. To one side she could see the shard and far away the Tower Bridge. She really loved it here.

Just before 1 pm, Emma took her bag and left the hotel to wait for Henry. When she stepped outside, she could spy his black Bentley across the street. She waved and walked over to it. Opening the door, she sat down in the passenger seat. Turning to Henry, she smiled at him. “Hey you” he just grabbed her face and kissed her hungrily. When he pulled away, she could see the desire in his eyes.

“How could you write something like that? I couldn't concentrate on anything the whole morning, my trainer must think me daft.” he accused her with a huge grin on his face. She just laughed.

“It seems like you survived just fine.”

“Barely” he gave her another kiss on the lips and started to drive. “How was your morning?”

“Lovely, I'm so surprised by the weather. It makes walking around London even better.”

“It is really good, bet next week we are back to cloudy skies and rain.” he took her hand in his. “I thought about what we could do today, how about a visit to the botanical gardens in Kew? We can't take Kal, but I took him already on a big round this morning, so he should be fine.”

“Oh I love the idea, I had it on my list, but had to choose between Hyde Park and the gardens, and Hyde Park won due to the distance to everything else I wanted to visit.” she smiled excitedly. He smiled at her enthusiasm and changed lanes.

After parking his vehicle in the parking lot, they bought their tickets and went through the entrance.

“Any thing particular you want to see?” Henry asked her.

“No, I'm open for everything, have you been here before?” “Several times, but it is always wonderful to be back, you always experience something new”

“Then let's just walk and see where we end up” They started into the general direction of the main path.

Spending their time laughing and talking while walking leisurely through beds of flowers and alleys of trees, they enjoyed another afternoon of getting to know each other.

While walking through the oak collection, Henry suddenly left the lane and pulled Emma with him.

“Henry, where are you going?”she asked surprised. He just smiled and led her behind one of the big trees out of sight of the people mingling on the path. He cornered her between him and tree trunk, putting his hands on either side of her head.

Emma looked up at him and gasped at the intense piercing glance of desire in his eyes. Her teasing retort forgotten. Then his lips came down on hers in a hungry kiss. He pressed his body into hers, her back pushed against the tree. She could feel his muscles under his T-shirt and shorts. Hard and unrelenting against the soft curves of her body. She whimpered at the contact. His lips left her mouth to travel down her jaw and throat. She tilted her head to give him better access. His hands left the trunk, one of them grazing the hemline of her T-shirt. Moving his hand under the fabric he finally was able to touch the soft skin of her abdomen. Moving higher, brushing his fingertips over her ribcage he ghosted over her bra. With the lightest of touches he skimmed over the swell of her breast.

Mirroring Henry's exploration, Emma's hands had also found their way under his shirt. When she touched his abs, they contracted under her eager fingers. Moving one hand up, it travelled to his chest. She felt light hair covering it, his heart beating strong under her fingers.

A woman's call and a child's laugh, brought them back to their surroundings. Emma laughed while Henry looked at her sheepishly. “I can't remember the last time I had my hands under a woman's shirt in public.” “You are still good at it, you know” she teased while she put her shirt back in order and checked her hair. “Here, let me help you” he reached into her hair, plucking a leave from the strands. “Can't have you looking like that, or everybody knows what we have been up to.” she sniggered.

“It was your idea.” “Maybe, but I remember you being a willing participant”

“Just because you coerced me. You are a bad influence” She peeked around the tree, the family with the child had moved on. “Let's go, coast seems clear.” They emerged from the tree line and moved back to the lane.

When they reached the car, Emma's stomach grumbled. “I'm starting to feel a little bit self-conscious here, it's already the second time, I seem to neglect your hunger until your stomach starts to make noises”

“I can't help it, it just happens, you're lucky though, I'm not turning hangry already.” “You do?”

“Oh yes, including the point of no return, where I'm that hungry I can't even decide what I want to eat now. You've just been officially warned, by the way.”

“Duly noted, is there anything that works every time? Like chocolate?”

“Sorry, chocolate won't be your saviour” she laughed. “What is it then?”

“Hmm, Vla, which is a kind of dutch version of custard. Strawberries or cherries, are also doing the trick” “Ok, so nothing really easy to come by here in the UK. I'll be doomed.” he almost looked scared.

“Sorry, I never said it would be easy. You just need to be cautious or find something here that does the trick.” “Now, as you are still in a position to say what you want. What would you like for dinner?” “What are my choices?”

“How about some steaks with a salad?” “Sounds good. Do you have a supermarket near your house?”

“Yes, why? I have all the ingredients already at home.”

“I need to pick up a few things, you'll see. Do you have a square baking dish, eggs, flour and icing sugar?” Henry nodded, still not quite sure what she was about.

“I thought maybe we would like some dessert?” He almost told her that he hoped she would be his dessert, but stopped himself.

They drove back, as there was no parking space available in front of the supermarket, she offered to go in alone and come back to his house, it was just a short walk anyway.

In the supermarket, Emma quickly checked the aisles for the things she needed. Picking up cacao power, butter and vanilla ice cream, then she quickly scanned the available chocolate. In the end she found some 75% dark chocolate, at home she usually used a mix of 75% with 82% with her brownies, but it still would work. Paying and walking in the direction, Henry pointed out to her before she got out of the car, she made her way back to his house.

She was a little bit nervous making her brownies, she was really proud of them, but with a strange oven she was not sure whether she would be able to get the timing right. She really wanted to impress Henry. When she thought about what would mostly likely happen after they had dinner, her heart beat faster. That was a completely different story. She knew that if she would back out, he would respect her choice, but she didn't want to. She had be drawn to him since the moment she met him, not only his hot body and handsome face but to him as a person. The last two days were a whirlwind of emotion. They shared a lot of stories and thoughts, more than usual when meeting a new person, where such conversations would be scattered over several days. In the end, she either took the plunge or she would regret it. He wanted her, that was clear, just thinking about their make out session in the gardens, made her blush, but she got the feeling that there was also something on the line for him. The little comments that he made about the lifestyle and his family, led her to the conclusion, that deep down, he was a down-to-earth guy, who happened to be famous.

She rang the bell and Kal was there to greet her with his tail wagging. “Hey buddy, did you miss us?” she laughed and stroked his head. “Seems like it” Henry took the shopping bag and kissed her.

“So what did you buy?” he opened the bag. “Some things, the ice cream needs to go in the freezer. And I need a pot,spoon, a scale, a bowl and a mixer. And the eggs, flower and sugar” she said, as she tied her hair up.

“Coming right up” he gave mocked salute and grinned.

They moved to the kitchen. After Henry provided her with the things she required, Emma started to measure the ingredients and melted some chocolate and butter in the pot, getting the rest of things ready. She poured the molten butter, chocolate mix in the bowl and set it aside. “That needs to cool down, otherwise we will get scrambled eggs, not brownies.

“How long does it take?” “I used as little heat as possible, so maybe 10-15 min. Once the batter is ready, they need about 25 to 30 min in the oven.” She looked at the control panel of his oven, shaking her head when it was not in Celsius “Ok, I'm lost, you need to set the oven. I need 180°C with top and bottom heat.”. He laughed.

“Kal needs to go on another short round. How about we do that now, and eat afterwards, the steaks don't take that long.“

When they returned, Henry started to prepare the salad, as Emma mixed the rest of the ingredients with the butter -chocolate mix, now cooled to room temperature.

Filling in the batter, she waited until the oven was warmed up. Sneaking up on Henry, she circled his waist and pressed her face to his back, breathing in his smell. Slowly travelling up his abdomen, she reached his chest and traced it with her fingers.

“Hello there, anything I can help you with?”

“No, I'm good, just getting busy while waiting for the oven” she smirked. He turned around “So I'm just a distraction?”

“A very good one” she grinned.

“I'm appalled, so you just want my body? I knew it.” He tried to look outraged, but couldn't keep a straight face long, especially when Emma started to kiss him, drawing his bottom lip in her mouth.

“Your body, you and everything” she whispered.

That woman really drove him mad. He pressed her body against his, devouring her lips. Suddenly he hoisted her up on the kitchen island, spreading her legs with his hand, he stepped close to stand in between them. Emma let out a surprised gasp, which turned into a moan, when pressed his pelvis into hers. The new position had him right where she wanted him, between her legs and creating delicious friction. He moved his lips to her throat nibbling and lightly sucking the sensitive skin. His hands found their way under her T-shirt again and this time he travelled directly to her breast, kneading the soft flesh. She sighed and circled her hips against him, sneaking her hands under his shirt to stroke his back. Things grew even more heated between, with him starting to pull off her shirt, when her stomach made another loud growl. He stopped and put his face in the crook of her neck.

“Your stomach has the worst timing, I swear” “I'm really sorry, I can't control it” she giggled. “Ok, I have my orders, let's get some food in you” he sulked and it really looked cute. She grabbed his collar for another searing kiss.

“How do you like your meat?” “Medium, please” Emma put the baking dish in the oven and set a timer for 25 minuets.

Moving to set the table again, she watched in parallel how Henry put two fillets in the pan. When they were done, they started to eat. “When did you start to bake?” he asked her.

“Hmm about three years ago? I used to watch a baking show on TV and then thought why not try it yourself and did a cake for my mother for Mother's Day. From there it pretty much kicked off, I do a lot of cookies for Christmas as well, I spend a whole weekend baking and my colleagues are happy, because I bring cookies starting end of November until I leave on holidays.“

“You bring cookies for a whole month? How many are you baking?”

“No, usually about 1 ½ weeks, maybe two, I usually take an early Christmas break. And then only a plate per day.”

“How many vacations days do you have?”

“Thirty, however the last few years I also did a lot of overtime, I'm lucky, the company I work for is in the union and that means a 35h of work week. I had some very time consuming projects, so last year I had almost 50 days off. However, this year it will be probably much less. Work is currently quiet. Which is hard for me to handle, it seems I'm born for chaos, it would drive my crazy, if I had nothing to do the whole day.“

The timer she set for the brownies beeped and after she testing the consistency, she pulled them out of the oven. The smell of chocolate filled the room, making his mouth water. “They need at least 10-15 minutes until they are cool enough to eat.” She turned to him, but he was no longer in his seat.

“I think I know exactly how to occupy our time” He stood behind her and his arms sneaked around her waist. “Do you now?” instead of answering, he trailed his fingers on her shoulder, gently moving her hair to her other shoulder. Lightly sucking her skin, he travelled up to her ear lobe. She shivered under his touch.

“If we continue like this, we will not eat the brownies when they are warm, they will be cold” she giggled. “Hmm, would that be so bad?” he continued his slow torture.

“Well, they do taste best when they are warm, you know all that chocolate gooeyness”

“Alright” he pouted. She giggled at his antics and the disgruntled look he wore on his face.

“It's not like I'm going somewhere tonight” she kissed him sweetly.

“Still, not fair. You also taste amazing.”

“Just a few more minutes, we can clean up and prepare the ice cream”

“Now you're also sensible and responsible?” he shook his head.

“One of us has to be“ she giggled harder “Boring” and he stuck his tongue out at her. They cleaned up and then Emma cut the brownies, and put them on a plate and added the ice cream. “I hope you like them” suddenly feeling nervous again.

“If they taste half as good as they smell, I will definitely like them”. When Henry put the first spoon into his mouth, the flavours exploded in his mouth, letting out a small groan. They were amazing.

“I'm sorry, but after tonight we can't see each other any more. I will be in seriously trouble if you continue to make them. They are delicious.” she laughed at his serious face. “I'm glad you like them” “No, seriously, I love them. I will cook all the time, if you bake.”

“That can be arranged” she giggled. When he kissed her, she tasted like chocolate and vanilla, it was heavenly.

Breaking the kiss, Emma looked into his eyes. “Take me to bed, Henry” she whispered softly.

His eyes widened with surprise and he pulled her out of her chair.

Henry kissed her hungrily, holding her face in his hands. She moaned and pressed herself against him. He hoisted her up and she circled her legs around him. Carrying her through his house, he walked towards the bed room.

When he reached his destination, he lowered her onto his bed. She kept her legs around and pulled him down with her. Trying to keep most of his weight off her, he settled on his elbow while they continued to kiss heatedly.

He moved down to her neck, nibbling, sucking, kissing as much skin as he could reach. She kept her eyes closed and moaned when he reached the sensitive spot just above her clavicle. He wanted more, so he reached for her shirt. “Is this ok?” She opened her eyes, almost black with desire. “Yes”she breathed

That was all the encouragement he needed. Slowly pushing up her shirt, he welcomed the new skin with kisses. She wore a simple black bra with some lace underneath her shirt. ..

He kissed one breast above the bra, while he massaged the other one with his hand. Her breasts were amazing, he could feel her nipples pebble under his touch and he pulled down the cup of the bra to take it into his mouth, sucking lightly. Her hands went in his hair to push him closer. He changed sides giving the other breast the same attention.

Moving up to kiss her more, he saw the blush on her skin all the way down to her breast. He grinned, he would never be able to see it again, without thinking where it went. Emma sat up, to remove the back clasp. When she let her bra fall, Henry eyes, darkened with desire,were glued to her chest.”See something you like?”

“Emma, you are breathtaking.” He smiled at her. “Now it's my turn”

She reached for the hemline of his shirt. He held his arms up to let her take of his shirt. She knew what was underneath it, she had seen the Witcher of course, but seeing his glorious chest and abdomen in front of her was something different. He was sexy as hell. “Oh my” “See something you like?” He chuckled, repeating her question. She answered by pushing him on his back. She started to run her fingertips over his chiselled chest, lightly scraping her finger nails, following with small kisses. When she reached his abs and that perfectly formed V of his hips, she nibbled at the skin just above his trousers. Henry groaned and she could see his erections straining against his fly.

Emma lightly grazed her knuckles against it and his hips buckled. She traced the line with fingertips, slightly dipping below in his boxers, while smiling teasingly at him. He could not take it much longer, pulling her down and he flipped them over to have her below him again.

Henry moved to her shorts and opened the button, pulling them down. He ran his hands up her legs and along her inner thighs, parting her legs. When he reached her panties, he traced the seam with his fingers, her breathing became even more laboured and she let out another small sound, which he couldn't get enough of. He slowly dipped one of his fingers in her panties, finally able to explore her. Her folds were already wet. Running his fingers through them, he found her clit.

When he touched it her hips moved to meet him. Massaging it with his thumb, he entered her with a finger, slowly pumping in and out. She was tight hot and wet, her inner walls clamping his finger. He added a second finger. She moaned louder, grabbing the sheets with her hands. Emma moved her hips in time with his movements. When he shortly withdrew a finger, she whimpered. Henry pulled her panties down her legs and followed the same trail with his mouth, teasing the skin, sucking and nibbling on her thighs. Reaching her folds he licked across and started to suck on her clit.

Alternating in licking and sucking, he added his fingers again. Her moans grew louder and she arched her back. He could feel the tightening of her walls, and then she shattered underneath his hands and tongue. Continuing his ministrations through the waves of her orgasm, he waited until she came back, and kissed his way up to her face.

When she opened her eyes, he looked at her. “That was..wow..” She moved to kiss him, Pulling him down to her again. Her hands sneaked down to his trousers, opening them and trying to push them down. He quickly broke their kiss to help her, leaving him in his boxers. Moving over her, she circled him again with her legs, their hips connected and his erection was pressed against her core. She moved her hips against his. She could feel his impressive length through the thin fabric of his boxers, directly at her entrance. It was exactly where she wanted him to be. Not able to hold back any longer, he pushed down his boxers. Taking a condom from his night stand, he quickly rolled it on.

Henry hovered above her and aligned himself with her entrance. He slowly started to push in her. Her heat engulfing him, wet, tight and hot. He groaned at the feeling, almost losing his control all together. She moaned when he entered her, her back arched to meet him. When he was fully sheathed inside her, he paused, savouring the moment. He slowly pulled out and pushed back in several times, allowing her to get used to him. It felt amazing, he filled her up completely and his movements sent shivers right to her core once she adjusted to his size. The slow pace he set was wonderful, but she craved more. She opened her eyes, his face above her full of pleasure. He bent down to kiss her again and sucked on her neck. “Henry, don't hold back, please” She whispered.

His eyes darkened and he began to thrust in her harder and faster. She moved her hips to meet him with every thrust. Emma felt the familiar build up in her core and moved her hands between their joint bodies. Realising what she was about, Henry moved his thumb on her clit, running circles. When he pressed down hard, she shattered again. Feeling her walls tightening around him, drove him over the edge and he came after few deep thrust with one long groan.

Spent, he covered her with his body, keeping his weight on his arms and kissed her softly. He felt her smile and she touched his face. They looked into each other eyes and he knew that there was no going back now. She looked beautiful, with her mused up hair, the swollen lips and the gentle smile on her face. He smiled back and she kissed him. Feeling him grow soft, he moved quickly to dispose of the condom.

Laying next to her, he drew her into his arms, with her head on his chest. She slowly drew circles on his chest and he kissed her forehead, both enjoying the feeling in each others arms. Neither Henry nor Emma wanted to break the moment, so they stayed silent for some time. In the end, Emma had to go to the bathroom, so she picked up her underwear of the ground and pulled Henry's shirt over her head. Although being large, it barely covered her bottom. She was a little bit shy to walk around naked. Henry grinned at her and stood up to pull on his boxers. He moved in front of the window and looked out into the dark night. Deep in thought he did not hear her coming back in. He looked like a greek statue, his broad shoulders and back, the narrow hips and strong legs. She still was a little bit awed that he seemed to find her beautiful, compared to him, she felt so normal. Emma moved over to him and circled him with her arms, kissing his back and laying her head on it.

Henry covered her hands with his, realising how small they were compared to his big ones. He turned around, she averted her eyes and buried her face in his chest. She suddenly seemed much shyer than before.

“Emma, is everything alright”

“Yes, I just need to let it all settle a little bit”

“Take all the time you need, sweetheart. I'm not going anywhere.”

“I like it when you call me that” He let out a small chuckle and kissed her hair. “I like calling you that”

He could see her blush again, he couldn't get enough of it. He tilted her head and placed another gentle kiss on her lips. Returning his kiss eagerly, she moved her arms around his neck again and into his hair. His shirt slid upwards and his hands went to her now freshly revealed backside, kneading the flesh with his fingers. She pressed her pelvic against his and he could feel his body's reaction. As much as he would've like to repeat their actions, he had the feeling that they needed to at least talk about them. Her shyness and small hesitation just before, worried him slightly The response of her body to his was everything he wanted, but he felt the need to reassure her. Henry pulled away. She looked at him surprised.

“Sweetheart, I think we need to talk about how to go on” She sighed “Yes, you are right, we do..”

Taking her hand in his, he kissed it. “I know that it will be complicated, but for me, even now, with the short time we have known each other; There is something there, something which I don't want to let go. I like you, you make me smile, you are so open and honest and so beautiful. I want to take a chance, I really think, this what we have, is worth to make it work” his eyes bore into hers.

“I know what you mean, and everything in me screams to say hell, lets throw all caution in the wind and go for it, but at same time I'm scared. Because I know my heart will be on the line. Having a long distance relationship, will be difficult. I mean, we just live not only in different cities, but also in two different countries... Our lifestyles are so mismatched. Your hours will be crazy as soon as you start shooting again and I have a job, which is basically 9 to 5. When will we ever have time together? It will be a disaster...and even if we would get a handle on that...There are certain aspect of your job, I'm not sure I can really cope with. Now that I know you, I don't know if I have the stomach to see you kiss other women.”

“But that's just exactly what it is, a job. Yes there are scenes where I have to kiss other women, or more, but its not the same like kissing somebody you.” He stopped himself in time ”Somebody you care about. There are many people around, mostly heavy men and it is not comfortable at all. It is work. Hell I would take an action scene over a kissing or sex scene everyday. It is not comparable. And not all roles involve such scenes. I can't promise you that there will be no roles at all, but I can promise I will not choose something like Fifty Shades of Grey.“

“I know, still...” she still looked doubtful “In the end it is about trust, as in every relationship and you can trust me, I will always be honest with you, I promise.” she smiled weakly.

“And as for the rest we will work it out. We can do weekends, you could come out to set. I know my schedule sucks..and there will be a lot of travelling involved, I'll book you the tickets” “You don't need to do that” “But I want to, you will have to sacrifice so much of your time, because I'm not flexible...the point is, I'm willing to do what it takes to make it work.”

“What about the press?”

He grimaced “It comes with job. I know you don't want you private life out there, me neither. We can keep us quiet for now, I will have to tell my manager and I want to tell my family and close friends eventually. But I believe people will be more interested in getting information about the second season of the Witcher than my private life, especially if we keep it under wraps. I hope that, in the future, I can take you out to events, because I want to show the world the wonderful woman I'm with, and yes, then there will be photos, but we can deal with that when the time comes. As long as nobody posts a picture of us or leaks it to the press, it will be fine.”

She still didn't look quite convinced, but he hoped he could reassure most of her fears. He kissed her passionately.

“Will you take a chance?” She closed her eyes for a moment and when she opened them again, he could see the answer right there in her beautiful brown eyes.

“Yes..I could never say no to you” She smiled when he saw his face brighten up with an amazing smile. “I hope you never will” and then he captured her lips in another searing kiss.

This time nothing stopped them in getting lost in each other. He moved them back to the bed, taking off his shirt off her. They explored each other, less urgently this time. Hands on skin, slowly stroking, lips kissing, nibbling, sucking. He held her hands above her head when he entered her. She cried out in response and her back arched to meet him. His strong powerful strokes had her body tingling everywhere and her mind solely focused on him.

As they lay together afterwards, Emma listened to his heartbeat, enjoying his fingers in hair as he toyed with the some of the strands. Being in his arms felt wonderful.

“What do you want to do tomorrow?” Henry inquired.

“Hmm, I haven't thought about it, do you have anything you need to do?”

“I moved my session to Friday evening, except for some cardio in the morning. I'm all yours.”

“I like the sound of that” She kissed his chest. “I do have to go back to the hotel to get the rest of my things, I have checkout at 10:00 on Friday and I don't want to do it then.”

“You left some things at the hotel? Why?”

He sounded surprised, she propped up her chin on his chest, so she could look into his face. “Because, I felt better having a safety net. This went so fast, and in the end I'm in a strange city where I know nobody. I needed to be sensible. I will get my things tomorrow and do an early check out.”

“How about a late breakfast, I need to do some cardio before it any way and this way, you can sleep in. You had a lot of early days, I thought you were on holiday.”

“I know, I'm crazy. But that sounds like a wonderful idea” she smiled. “What's on the menu?”

“Eggs, bacon..toast? I might even have a tin of beans somewhere”

She shuddered “You Brits and beans..They taste horrible, and then for breakfast..Why?”

“Don't tell me you don't enjoy a classic British breakfast? I'm appalled. Had I known this...”

She pinched him slightly. “Sorry, but your classic British breakfast sucks. I rather go American with pancakes”

“Traitor” he laughed. “But ok, pancakes it is”

“Do you know how to make pancakes?” “Sure, and Google will help”

“Well, I'm curious. Let's see what you can do.” she grinned.

“You probably know how to make pancakes and if they are like your brownies, they taste very good with out a doubt” “I might” she smirked.

“Great, now I'm nervous” he grumbled. She just playfully kissed him. Henry not responded at first, but having her lips on his was too tempting. They kissed lavishly for some time. Both couldn't get enough of each other.

Later, when Emma had already fallen asleep, Henry looked at the woman in his arms. There was enough light from outside that he could roughly make out her face. Her breathing was slow and relaxed. What a day it had been. He was glad that they talked and that she seem to trust him enough to put aside her doubts and give them a chance. He didn't know what would have happened if she hadn't. He planned to enjoy the next day and when she had to leave on Friday...they would see if they really could make it work. His shooting would resume soon and then he would be back on different locations. It was still a lot of travel, but at least when he was somewhere in Europa, she would be able to come to see him more easy. It would have been more problematic if she would had from the US. or Australia. Although he had lived several months in the US., his family was in the UK and he felt at home there.

Emma turned around to her side. Smiling he turned as well, putting his arm around her while spooning her from behind. With her smell surrounding him, he fell asleep.

-4-

Emma woke up, feeling a little bit disorientated. She looked around the unknown room and it took a moment before she realised that she was in Henry bedroom. She turned around and saw that the other side of the bed was empty. Remembering that he had to do his cardio, she let her head sink back into the pillows. The sheets smelled like him and she inhaled deeply, closing her eyes again. It had really happened. Last night had been unbelievable. Henry had made her feel cherished and special. Their first time had been incredible but somehow also surreal. Her heart beat faster just thinking about it. The talk afterwards and how he had been so serious and open about everything blew her mind. The honesty in his words and the commitment to make it work, convinced her to put her doubts mostly behind her. In the end he was right, it was about trust and effort. Every relationship needed such a foundation and she believed the reward, him in her life, was worth the risk. Emma was sure she would regret it horribly otherwise.

After a his workout Henry decided to look in on Emma. He had slept very well and this morning when he woke up, she was still in arms. Her hair splashed all over the pillow, her face relaxed and so beautiful. He took the time to study it. The sun from yesterday had really brought out the freckles which were all over her face. Her mouth with her delicious full lips, was slightly open. He resisted the urge to kiss her, not wanting to wake her. It was hard to get up and leave this amazing woman alone, but he wanted her to have her rest. Quietly as possible he slipped out of the bed and put on some workout clothes. Kal was already waiting for him at the door. “Come buddy, let's take a short walk” After getting back, he went to his elliptical and set the machine to his usual thirty minuets workout.

He stood in the doorway for a few moments just enjoying the view of her in his bed. A view he definitely wanted to get used to. Kicking off his running shows, he crawled on the bed. The sudden movement startled Emma and she opened her eyes. There he was, somewhat sweaty, smiling at her. “Good morning beautiful” “Good morning”

He bent down to kiss her and she threw her arms around him, pulling him down. “Sorry, I'm sweaty” he chuckled.

“I like you sweaty” she teased “Do you now?”

“Yes, definitely” she looked at him with a heated look and kissed him more urgently. Emma pushed Henry on the mattress and straddled him. She was still wearing his T-shirt from last night, never bothering to change in her pyjamas. Sitting directly on his pelvis, she slowly circled her hips. He wore loose workout shorts and she could feel him underneath her. Henry reached out to touch her but she playfully pushed his hands away.

Pushing up his shirt, she covered his abdomen and chest with kisses and nibs. He tasted salty but she didn't care. His hands tried to touch her again and this time she took them and pulled them above his head “This time there is no touching for you” She said teasingly.

Emma moved down his chest and took her time with his glorious abs. She licked and nibbled, while Henry closed his eyes, enjoying her ministrations.

When her hands skimmed over his arousal, he let out a low moan. She stroked him over his pants and then pulled down his shorts and boxers in one motions. She grabbed him and moved her hands up and down for few strokes earning another low groan from him. Emma lowered her mouth and took a tentative lick. Surprised, Henry jerked his hips and opened his eyes. He found her looking directly at him, smiling sexy and then she took him in her mouth, sucking down hard. A deep moan escaped him and his eyes shuttered close. Her mouth felt wonderful, hot and wet. Emma started to bop down up and down, her hands fisting the base which she could not reach with her mouth. Her tongue swirled around the head and she continued sucking and teasing him.

“I gonna come soon” he groaned. Emma took him in her hands and soon after he came with a low groan.

\------

Sitting on the kitchen counter Emma watched smiling as Henry mixed together the ingredients of the promised pancakes, checking the recipe on his phone repeatedly. “Do you need any help” she smirked

“No, thank you. I'll manage” “If you are sure” her smirk turning into a giggle at the sight of him spilling a little batter on the counter when he set the mixer with too much power.

“Yes I'm sure” he sounded a bit irritated. “But if you keep on laughing, I might need to find a way to quieten you.”

He kissed her playfully and Emma giggled even more, when he turned around to continue. Everything went well until he tried to flip the first pancake. The result was a heap rather than a flat pancake, which was also a little burned already on the one side. He groaned in frustration when her giggle turned to a full laugh.

“Don't worry, the first one always goes wrong, that's Murphy's law. Just toss it and start the second one, you can't salvage it anyway.” following her advise, the second one turned out rather good and soon they were enjoying the fruits of his labour with some blueberries and strawberries, Emma cut up while Henry finished the pancakes.

“They are really good.”she smiled while piercing another piece on her fork.

“Thank you. You know we talked about breakfast yesterday, but we never discussed what we wanted to do today, apart from getting your things from the hotel. The weather seems to be turning out rather nicely again. Is there anything you wanted to do but couldn't because of the distance?”

Her eyes lit up. “Windsor. It was just too far away going there by public transportation, but..you can't take dogs into the castle, I saw that on the website when I planned the trip. We can't leave Kal alone again.”

He smiled at her concern for his dog, appreciating it immensely. She was right, he didn't want to leave his dog at home again, especially as he only did a short walk this morning.

“However, the grounds are open, maybe we can just take walk around them and enjoy the village. I heard it's supposed to be really lovely.”

“That sounds good, are you sure about the castle though?”

“Yes, I mean, how can you leave him here, look at him, he is so cute.” Kal, who had heard his name, joined them at the table and put his head on Emma's thighs. Emma started to scratch his ears. Henry laughed at the antics of his dog.

“Well, that's settled then. I would propose to go first to the hotel then to Windsor, this way we don't have to worry about getting back and dinner.”

“Afraid I might change my mind?” “Maybe, who knows what might happen today” he said jokingly.

“Well, then you better be on your best behaviour.” “Yes, ma'm”

“Ma'm? I'm not that old, you are eight years older than me, making you positively ancient”

“There might have been some comparison to a Greek statue, when I did Immortals, so I'm ok with that” he laughed.

“And that was when? When you were 22?”

“28, but I did not hear any complaints yesterday evening from you, or this morning for that matter, about my shape nor stamina, so I should be fine.” Her eyes flickered to his chest and abs and a deep red blush appeared on her face. Smirking he continued to finish his food, as though nothing happened, while Emma tried to get her racing heart and heated face under control.

“So Immortals, what is it about? Greek methodology?” she asked to distract him.

“Yes, I played Theseus, a human who was empowered by Zeus to fight against a king who wants to overthrow humanity. You know the usual stuff. It was the first real action movie I did, showing me what I had to go through for superman, MI6 and in the end The Witcher.“

“I really liked greek history in school. We had a amazing teacher who really told good stories. He usually used two lessons to just tell, and then one hour where we had to write down everything. I really did a lot of background research, I even read the Iliad and Odyssey by Homer, but then in 8th grade we moved on the 12th century and so on and had a really boring teacher, so after that history was not my favourite subject any more.”

“What were you favourite subjects in school?”

“Hmm, it changed, I always liked English, at least after I was good at it, I liked science, so Math, Physics, Biology, Chemistry. How about you?”

“PE and then drama class of course. I used to play Rugby in school, I loved that. Not so much a fan of the normal subjects though. I really never liked school that much.”

“Did you always knew you wanted to became an actor?”

“No, it happened around the time I was sixteen, I did some school plays until then, I seemed be to good, and I liked what I was doing. I loved being able to be somebody else. Then Russel Crowe was shooting some scenes at the school I was in, And I just went up and asked him what it's like. He told me that they pay you pretty well, but sometimes they treat you like shit. I really struggled in the beginning, missed some good roles, but I think it worked out really well in the end.”

“What would you have done, if acting hadn't worked out?”

“I would have studied Egyptology and joined the army. Did you always knew what you wanted to be?”

“No, when I was small, I wanted to be a vet. My mum told me that would also involve putting animals down, so that closed the door on that one. Then I thought about being a marine biologist, which was also more of a phase. My mum always was very realistic about my job ideas. Not so much about telling me not to chose them, but to be sure I knew what that would entail and to do research. So that in the end I would not choose something which had nothing do with what I wanted to do. When I grew older, being an engineer became more of a focus, my mum is also an engineer, chemistry, though. She also did project work. In 12th grade I went on a job fair with my school, there I found my university and major. I studied Sales engineering and product management, which is about 70% of mechanical engineering and 30% Soft skills, like sales, product management, project management, marketing, law and so on. Although in my last year at school, I thought about becoming a pilot, I even applied at Lufthansa. But their applications process is quite tough and long. It takes about half a year after your application, to be invited to a technical evaluation, if you pass then you move on to an assessment centre at least fore months later. And then there is still a physical you need to pass. All in all, it would have taken almost a year. I did not want to wait or start something just to change again...Maybe moving so much, had made me a little bit wary. In the end having the technical evaluation basically at the same time as my final exams, made the decision.”

“Do you regret it sometimes?”

“No...not really, I like what I'm doing and it is a much safer job then being a pilot..you know..if my vision turns bad, I just get glasses, when I'm a pilot that would be no option or anything in that direction...and the schedule is much better. Having a family would have been more difficult as well”

“I can fully understand that.” He itched to ask her about her view on families...but it was too early to have such a conversation. “And in my next life, I will just study aviation engineering” she added jokingly.

\-----

  
As they drove to the hotel, Kal in the back seat this time. The radio was on quietly in the background. When they stood at a red traffic light, Henry took Emma's hand in his and kissing it lightly. It felt so normal to have her with him. Arriving at the hotel, Emma got out and went to her room. Packing the rest of her things into her bag, she looked around to see whether she had missed anything. After checking out, which earned her a strange look and some inquiring questions from the woman at the reception, she stepped out on the street. Henry got out to open the trunk and reached for her bag. “Thank you” she smiled and kissed him.

On their way to Windsor, a familiar tune started and Emma smiled. Automatically reaching to the volume control button she turned it up a few bars. Then realising what she did, she smiled apologetically to Henry. “Sorry, just a habit I guess. I should have asked first”

“No don't worry, do you like this song?”

“I love Michael Bublé” she smiled widely, as the verse of “Everything” started. “Especially this song...Well, actually all his songs” she corrected herself laughing.

“I'm not so familiar with his music. I think I heard his Christmas album at one time, but other than that..not that much..is he very popular in Germany?”

“I wouldn't say very popular, but sometimes the radio stations plays some of his songs. I like big band and swing, especially during time I did ball room and that's how I got into his music, and of course during Christmas time, his album is on repeat on my Spotify. I went to his concert when he on tour in Germany last year...I loved it” smiling even more brightly at the memory.

“What kind of other music do you listen to?”

“I do have a more peculiar taste, maybe I should mentioned it now, when you still have time to run” she laughed.

“As long its not hard core techno, we should be fine.”

“No, actually, I do not like that at all..I love to listen to Disney, as mentioned already, pair that with musicals, film music and some pop you have my usual Spotify playlist. For dancing, give me 90's or at least something I can sing to, then its fine. I hate the modern club music, where you just wait for the beat to drop. I really get in a foul mood if the music is shit at a club.”

“Do you often go out clubbing?”

“Not really any more..maybe few times a year. Usually when somebody is celebrating a birthday or such. Oh and my office Christmas party. That is usual fun.”

“Why? I imagine office Christmas parties as rather stiff or embarrassing with a lot of drunk people.”

“There is usually alcohol, but only beer and wine. Kölsch, of course, which is the city based beer, a religion like thing in cologne, and then the DJ did one thing right, he played local band songs. You see, Cologne has a lot of local bands, playing songs in the local dialect which is also called Kölsch. They are hugely popular due to the whole Karneval and the immense pride of cologne, its hard to explain, once those songs are on, the dance floor quickly fills up, there are always some that dance in the beginning to the normal songs, like me and some other, or the girls from HR, but when the engineers start, it is really fun. I have to drive home, so I'm sober, I sometimes drive some colleagues home, in exchange of bringing me safely to my car.”

“That's nice of them.”

“Nice, my ass, last time they were drunk, and when I drove them to the next bar, we had the police behind us and I do not know what they did, but suddenly, the police asking me to stop and I had my first alcohol check. I was really nervous, I mean I did not even have one sip, but anyway. They were very nice, and just told me I should ask my colleagues to tone it down. They thought it was hilarious.” He laughed. “Especially, when the last time, I have driven them home, I got a speeding ticket, because they forget to tell me that there was a speed trap.”

“What about you?” “What about me?” “What kind of music do you like”

“I would say mixed. Whatever my mood is calling for. But I do like country music. Like Chris Young and Josh Tucker”

“You like county? I would never have guessed”

“I know, but it's true. So you are not alone with your crazy taste”

“I never heard of them. I think the only country I know is Dolly Parton and Blake Shelton.”

“Well, I'm happy to educate you.”

“Then educate away. I'm curious”

“Ok, let's strike a deal, on the way there, I put on my music and on the way back we listen to one of your playlist.”

“We don't have to, we can listen both ways to your music.” she blushed.

“Why? Wait are you embarrassed?”

“A little bit, its always something different, talking about it and somebody really listening to my music, who doesn't know me that well and additionally I usually sing along, That's also not something you need to experience right away.”

“Ok, now I must insist. “ he laughed. “We'll see. But anyway its your turn first,” she tried to put him off.

He changed over to his playlist and the first notes of a Josh Turner songs started. Trying to gauge her reaction, he looked over to her. She seemed to concentrate on the music, moving her head to the beat. When she realised he was looking at her. She smirked.

“Eyes on the road, buddy”. A few songs in, “Your man” came on. “Oh this one I know”

“So, nothing to scare you away with?”

“No, all good.” listening to the lyrics, she giggled. “So this is the song you put on when you want to seduce a woman?” He chortled surprised.

“Not that I remember” he blushed, however, which made Emma laugh out loud.

“You know you are blushing right?” “I don't know what you mean.”

“I think you know exactly what I mean, there is no denying that.”

“Why did you stop dance ballroom?” Henry asked to distract her.

“Various reason, in the end, I liked it but I neither had enough talent nor loved it enough to sacrifice the time which I needed to to be truly successful”

“So now you dance only for fun?”

“Yes, these days just for fun, but I normally can't sit still when I hear music. You?”

“Err..let's say, I do need a few drinks before I move to the dance floor...then I think its ok. I have not heard any complaints. But its definitely not something I ever feel completely comfortable with.”

“With all the fight choreography you need to learn, I bet you are very good. Don't they say its basically two people dancing?”

“Yes, they do, but there I know what I'm doing.” he chuckled.

Arriving in Windsor, Henry parked his car at the car park close to Royal Maze and the pair chose to directly go in this direction. There were many people around them, Windsor being also a very popular tourist attraction. Henry hoped to avoid most of the crowd in the park. They walked quickly into the maze and started to stroll more leisurely when fewer people were around. They spent the next hour, moving along the maze and onto Alexandra Park, enjoying the weather and each other's company all the way to a small church. For a late lunch they sat outside a little café. Getting up, Emma saw the a sign in direction of the river “Henry, might we walk back along the river side?” He agreed.

The path was well travelled. A lot of people were enjoying the weather. When Emma stopped to take a photo of the river, a small group of Asian tourists stopped. One of the young women made a noise sounding like a squeak. “Oh you are Henry Cavill, can I get an autograph?” Henry sighed, he usually signed autographs, but with Emma he would have liked to avoid the situation as long as possible. He turned around, she looked surprised, but not put off, he shrugged his shoulders and passed the leash from Kal to her.

Emma decided to move on a few feet away, in the end she didn't want to end up in any of those photos. It felt strange, watching him to sign the autographs and smile into the cameras that were directed at him. After a few minutes, he said goodbye and moved into her direction. The group of girls were staring after him, squealing happily, talking to each other in Chinese.

“Lets go”he whispered keeping his distance to her. He hoped they didn't follow them and was relieved that it seemed like nobody else had paid attention. When they put some distance between them, he took Emma's hand again and when she wanted to hand him Kal, he shook his head

“You can keep him, if you want. I'm sorry about that, it sometimes happens.”

“Oh that's ok...it is still strange...I mean, I have had a ticket signed at an official event. Not by somebody on the street..”

“It is strange and luckily, it does not happen so often. When I'm doing press, that's a different story...But this comes with the job. So whose autograph have you collected”

“Billy Boyd. He was at a Lord of the Rings concert in Düsseldorf. After the show, my friend didn't want to stand in line for the coat room directly, so we waited at the bar. And then he was out there signing and taking pictures, I didn't say no to that. He is the same height as me, it was rather funny. And he was really nice and that scottish accent. I do like your accents here.”

“Ok, now I know, not only do you want me for my body, but also for the way I talk?” He chuckled.

“I'm not ashamed, I love a British accent. You can read a dictionary and it would still sound sexy as hell” “Maybe I could branch out.”

“You should, you could make millions. At least you could read audio books.” he laughed, remembering the clip he shot for Netflix reading from the Witcher.

“I will bring it up with my manager” She giggled at the thought.

They reached Windsor Castle and St. George Chapels, even if they couldn't go in, Emma enjoyed the wonderful buildings from the outside. Taking another photo with her cellphone, she smiled at Henry patiently waiting for her. “Shall I take a photo of you?” “Yeah please, I need to have some evidence I was here” He used his phone and looked at the beautiful woman in front of him. He loved her smile, it was genuine, reaching her eyes every time. Suddenly he had the urge to take a picture of them together, a kind of documentation of their first days together, which he hoped would be many, many more. He moved to her, pulled her to his side and made a selfie. “What was that about?” she smiled. “Just documenting the day” he said casually. She raised one eyebrow, but did not comment on it.

Deciding to walk some more they chose to follow the long walk path. Conversation flowed easily between them, as it had the last days. Both wanting to learn more about each other. Though they came from different backgrounds and had so different lives, they found more and more similarities. Emma and Henry knew their time together was coming to an end, tomorrow she would fly back to Germany and they wanted to cherish it. “When does your flight leave tomorrow?”

“At 4:20pm, I have to be at the airport at least an hour before. Security checks at Heathrow are horrible. “Yeah I know. That means we have to leave at 2:30 pm. Hope the traffic will not be too bad”

“You don't have to drive me, I can take the subway.”

“Well, you see I'm a selfish person. I want to spend as much time as possible with you and added to that the subway takes forever”

“I really don't want to go..” Emma looked down, just the thought of tomorrow made her sad.

“I don't want to you leaving either, sweetheart” he took their entwined hands and kissed hers. “We just have to make the most of it”

“Any suggestions?”

“If I had it my way, we would be going back to bed and stay there until we have to leave for the airport” he grinned boyishly

“Somehow, this does not surprise me, however, it might not be that practical”

“You did not ask for a practical suggestion”

“Shame on me.” she said laughing

“Well, if this is not an option, how about dinner, maybe a movie? It does sound a little bit boring, and I probably should take you out on a night out on town, but I don't want to share you with strangers, not tonight. I promise you, we will do it next time.”

“No, not at all. It sounds perfect” she smiled at him.

“Then how about we go back? I could make curry, if you are up to it?” She agreed and rather than walking back the way from where they came, they moved off the path and walked back through the streets.

Arriving at his car, after Henry put Kal in the back seat, he turned to Emma, as she was just about to get in. “So about our little deal, bring it on.” he grinned at her.

She blushed. “I can't convince you to change your mind?”

“No, definitely not” She sighed and handed him her phone. “Choose your fate”

He scrolled through her playlists. They had funny names and in the end he chose one that seemed to be a roadtrip playlist and put it on shuffle. They listened to the music, he heard her quietly humming alone. She had a clear high voice. He wondered what she sound like if she really sang. But Emma held herself back, one embarrassing moment per day, was enough.

Looking ahead, seeing the red tail lights on the vehicles in front of them, Henry groaned “Looks like it might take a little while longer to get home, seems like we caught the rush hour”

“No problem, I get stuck in traffic all the time”

“You mentioned that you have long way to work, why don't you move in the city you work in when you get stuck in traffic so much?”

“Several reasons, the flat I live in belongs to my mother, so I pay less rent then I normally would, my family and most of my friends live in Düsseldorf, finding an apartment in Cologne that is affordable is a challenge, if you don't want to live in the shady areas and if it is in wrong part of the city, I need to same time for ten km instead of the thirty I drive now. I only have one bottle neck, because of construction, the rest is rather smooth cruising and on this part of the Autobahn there is no speed limit”

“Yeah I heard of that. Sounds like heaven”

“My car is not that fast, but it does 170 /175km/h, so still fun. How fast can you go in Britain?”

“70mph which is like 110km/h, so rather boring”

“I usually drive like 120-140km/h average based on traffic, but 110 is like really slow.“

“I know, I definitely have to visit you sometime and rent a car” “I hope you plan to visit me even without the promise of driving without speed limit” “Of course” he quickly responded “Not so convinced right now” she laughed.

As traffic slowly moved along the streets of London, an instrumental song came on, After listening to it for some moments, Henry inquired “What's this?”

“It's a film score. “How to train your dragon?”

“I never saw that movie.”

“Oh really? I love how to train your dragon, all of them”

“There is more then one?”

“Yes, three actually. The score is really good. I love movies scores. I have a whole playlist dedicated to them” she laughed.

“Who is your favourite composer?” “Hans Zimmer, of course Howard Shore, John Williams..”

“Oh wow, Hans Zimmer did Men of Steel. John Williams did Star Wars, right?”

“Yeah, and Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones, ET, Jaws...He is one of the great.”

“I'm not so familiar with Howard Shore though”

She looked at him unbelieving “Ok, now I have to think about whether we can continue this. You don't know Howard Shore?” She started to sing a melody. He recognized it, but was more intrigued by her voice. It was really beautiful, clear and soft. Realizing what she was doing, she stopped and blushed.

“So, the Lord of the Rings?”

“Yes, and the Hobbit, of course. The score is like a twelve hour symphony, well, with the Hobbit it's twenty hours.”

“Yes, that's true. Your voice is really beautiful, you know. You didn't have to stop.”

Emma blushed “Thank you..I like singing. I just can't to do it, when somebody says to me: sing. But singing for myself and somebody listens to it by “mistake” is ok. I could never go on stage or something. I don't know how you do it”

“It just came naturally to me, I guess, there are still times where I get nervous. But you get used to it with time. I mean you put yourself on the spot, acting, singing, anything related to performing arts, its personal, in the end people are judging you, not only your work, because your work is so much of yourself..It is always a struggle to separate this when you get negative comments..but still I enjoy what I'm doing..and luckily people seem to think I do it well enough. But there was a time where I was not sure whether I should continue..There was a lot of self-doubt.”

“I can imagine..I'm mean, I'm lucky that I was never in the situation where I needed to consider turning my life completely around...but self-doubt is always difficult. I wouldn't know if I would have the courage to choose such a path...”

“I experienced some incredible things through my job and now I'm in a conformable situation, but yes, the beginning was definitely a challenge.”

“When do you have to start shooting again?” “In August, we will be in London for sometime and then back to locations all over Europe.”

“How long do you shoot?”

“For season one we shot about five months. Of course, I'm not involved in all the scenes, in season 2 the story lines will be more intertwining, but I don't have all the schedules yet.”

“Wow..that's a long time”

“I know,, but there will be off-days and weeks. We just need to do a little planning and a lot of video calls. And travelling around Europe is certainly doable, don't you think?”

“Yes, I think we can manage..I just need to have some explanations then, why I'm travelling so much..or I just need to have some cover story...”

“A cover story? For what?”

“What I'm doing with my weekends..it would be strange if I suddenly start to travel all on my own, I don't usually do that. And I can't tell what I'm really doing, because then certain people would ask a lot questions...There are people whom I tell pretty much anything..”

“So you don't want to tell people at all?” “Not now, we said we wanted to keep low key, didn't we?” “Yes, but what if somebody asks you whether you are available?”

“Are you asking whether I would meet other men?” His silence was enough. “I can assure I don't. Ok, let's get this out in the open. We seem to do everything on fast track anyway. When I'm seeing somebody, there is nobody else in parallel, I'm not like that, are you?”

“No, I don't date casually. Either it is something, or it isn't”

“Good to hear” she smiled softly “and as we already talking about such topics. I don't do cheating, I give my trust and the benefit of the doubt, if you break it, it's hard to earn it back and I can't promise it will be possible at all. And for me cheating starts with a kiss.” Her voice was serious and her face showed such emotion, that he was sure that there was history. He wanted to know who had broken her heart, but it was not the right moment

“Understood”

“Well, with you, I'll make the exception, you can kiss other women, but you need to have a camera on you and twenty heavy set men around.” she tried to lighten the mood.

“Thank you, I will keep that in mind. I will have them put that in my contract” “ You better do” she smiled and he kissed her hand.

When they finally arrived at Henry's house, it was already after 6pm. After feeding Kal, Henry checked his stock and realised that there he was missing some ingredients. “Sweetheart, I need to make a short trip to the store.” he called out to Emma, who was in the bedroom packing her bags for tomorrow. He look around the doorway. “Do you want to join me or do you want to stay and finish up?”

“I would like to get this done, then I don't have to worry about it later.“

“Sure, no problem, I shouldn't take me too long.” He moved over to quickly kiss her.

“Do you want me to get already started? I don't know, like chopping vegetables?”

“No, I have everything under control, you can finish here and just relax on the couch.”

“Ok, will do.” after another quick kiss Henry left the house.

Emma finished packing her bag, keeping her clothes for the next day and her toiletries on the dresser. Being alone in Henry's house felt a little bit strange, but oddly not as much as she would have expected it to feel. As she turned around, she saw Kal standing in the doorway.

“Hey buddy. All done?” The dog looked at her expectantly. “Seems like it, so what do you want to do now?” starting to wag his tail, he turned around. Laughing she followed him and they ended up in Henry's living room. Kal sat down on at her feet and pushed his head at her hands, just like he did when they first met. “Is this your way of telling me, that you want to get cuddled?. Ok, buddy, let's get on the couch. Judging from the other night Henry seems to be alright with it.” She moved over and sitting on it comfortably, she was followed by the excited dog and like the other time, he settled close to her and put his head on her lap. She started to stroke him, letting her fingers sink deep into his soft fur. The dog sighed and closed his eyes.

“You are really the cutest boy there ever was, you know. No wonder Henry loves you as much as he does, I would too. I still can't believe the last few days...It has been more like a blur and tomorrow I leave already...I just want to stay here and enjoy just getting to know him..He is such a kind person..I feel like I have been swept off my feet..but on the other hand, I'm really scared..what if he is reminded that I'm nothing special once I go back...and all this is just a short dream..” Emma sighed, laying her head against the cushions, she closed her eyes. The long days caught up with her and she started to doze off.

When Henry returned, he was surprised to find Kal not waiting at the door. As he walked in the living room he found him and Emma on the couch. Finally hearing Henry return, Kal sleepily lifted his head and looked at him for a moment before returning his position on Emma's lap. Henry chuckled and decided not to wake Emma, as she looked so peaceful on his couch. He moved the bag in the kitchen and started cooking.

Emma woke up to a wonderful aroma weaving through the air. She slowed opened her eyes and saw that Kal had not left his position on her lap. Soft music was playing through the house and she recognised Frank Sinatra. Her movements woke up the dog on her lap and after she stroked his head, she slowly pushed him from her, so she could stand up.

Henry was busy with the last touches on the curry, stirring it in the pan and checking on the rice. He was so engrossed in his cooking that he did not hear Emma come in.

“I'm sorry I fell asleep, why did you not wake me when you got back?” He looked up and she was standing in the doorway, still a little bit ruffled.

“Hey sweetheart, you looked so relaxed, I didn't want to bother you and Kal. He becomes really spoiled by all the attention you know?”

“I enjoy his company. It smells fantastic, by the way.“ She moved closer, stepping into his waiting arms. He embraced her, kissing her lightly on her hair. She sighed quietly and closed her eyes. She couldn't get enough of being in his arms.

“Thanks, I hope you like it”

“I'm sure. How much longer does it need, before its done?” “A few more minutes maybe?”

“Good, I'm starving”

“We can't have that, at least your stomach is not adding to the pressure this time” he said teasingly.

“Yes, you are safe” He bent down to kiss her, which she eagerly returned. Cradling her head in his hands, he slowly stroked her cheek, her brown eyes, like dark pools full emotions, were holding his gaze. All the feelings from the last days were running through him and he knew he was on the way of falling in love with her. The thought scared him somewhat, he had never experienced something like this, but it also made him feel giddy and happy. He had never thought it could happen and this made it more exciting. The last few years and the relationships he had been, were all running with the same pattern. Maybe this was the way it supposed to go.

He kissed her forehead and her eyes fluttered close. Moving down, he put light butterfly kisses on her eyelids, her cheeks, her nose and then moved back to her lips. The kiss was full of tenderness and he pulled her close to him. When they came up for air, she slowly opened her eyes and found him looking at her. Emma saw the warmth and softness in his eyes and her heart started to beat even faster. The first piano notes of “Love is here to stay” began to play in the background.

Starting to sway to the soft melody of the song, Henry gathered Emma in his arms and took a few tentative steps. She looked surprised but a dazzling smile played on her face. Moving in time to the music, they stayed close, their foreheads touching. He twirled her, making her laugh, when she spun back in, she had her back against his chest. He buried his nose in her hair, breathing in the subtle fragrance of her shampoo and a scent which was just her. Emma closed her eyes, enjoying the moment, his arms around her, the crooning voice of Frank Sinatra, to which they moved with gentle steps. It was beautiful. She turned her head and kissed him. When the kiss ended, she slowly opened her eyes and looked right into his blue eyes. It was in this moment that she knew it in her heart. Trying to reign in her emotions, before they made her say too much, she closed her eyes and when she opened them again, she smiled.

“So you do dance without having drinks” she teased lightly. Henry laughed. “Yes, it seems I do”.

\----

Henry put the car in neutral and cut off the engine. When he turned to Emma, she was looking ahead to the visible airport building in front of them. She took a deep breath, shuttering slightly as she breathed out. Her hands were fiddling nervously in her lap. When she turned to face him, he could see the emotions playing out on her face and her eyes. She smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. “So...this is it...”

“Yes”

“Thank you again for driving me”

“I'm happy to” he returned her smile, but it was harder than he expected. Emma sighed. This was the moment she had dreaded since she the day they first kissed. She still couldn't believe it had been only three days. It felt much longer.

“I just wanted to say, that the last days have been like a dream...I mean, I never expected something like this to happen. I mean who does...It was a really wonderful time. I really don't want to leave.”

“And I don't want you to”

“So what happens now?”

“Well, we kiss goodbye as long as we can. You get on the plane and when you land, you let me know that your arrived safely. You know the standard procedure.“

“That's not what I meant”

“I know, but Emma, I said it and mean it. I'm willing to do whatever it takes to make this work. We text, we talk on the phone, we video chat, exchange naughty messages. Maybe I can even convince you to send me a picture or two and then hopefully very soon, we see each other again.“

“Simple as that?” she asked shyly.

“Simple as that. Anything else we just deal with when it happens. Now that I have gotten to know you, I won't let you go that easily.”

He smiled at her. Emma threw her arms around him and buried her head in his chest. He cradled her in his arms and kissed her hair. She lifted her head and kissed him.

They devoured each other, hands roaming, both trying to get as close as possible. When they broke the kiss, Henry moved to kiss her forehead. Emma relished the feeling of their closeness. She opened her eyes and found him looking at her. His blue eyes, which mesmerised her since the first time she had looked into them, were full of warmth. She felt the emotions overtaking her. There was a lump in her throat.

Their moment was interrupted by the beeping of Emma's mobile phone. She had set the alarm to ensure that she would be on time for her flight. She sighed and turned it off. “That's my cue, I have to go.”

Both exited the vehicle and Henry got her luggage out of the trunk. They had decided that Henry would not accompany her into the airport, so this was their final goodbye. Taking her into his arms one last time, Henry crushed her to his frame. “I will miss you.“ she whispered.

“Me too, but it will not be too long. Just remember, us and the rest will fall in line.” “I will.” and they kissed, pouring their emotion into it. Another alarm on Emma's phone went off. She turned it off. Now it was really time to leave. She quickly pressed another kiss on his lips and took her luggage from him.

“Goodbye sweetheart.” He quickly stroked her cheek one last time. “Goodbye Henry.” She smiled bravely and started to walk towards the lift.

She turned around one last time, he waved at her and she knew that she left her heart with him...


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The second part of my story...It is more like a in between chapter..not much Henry and Emma together

Some days after Emma had left London Henry came home in the pouring rain after another training session. The weather had taken a turn though it could not dampen his mood. Since he met Emma, he had a permanent smile on his face.

Quickly taking a shower and he settled in front of his computer for an online meeting with his manager. It was still early in L.A, but Dany Garcia was always on time. Kal followed him into the living room and settled at his feet.

As he logged on, she was already in the video call. They started working together some years ago and he appreciated her directness and hard work.

“Hi Henry, how are you? How is England?” she greeted him.

“Hi, good and you? Rainy, it really has taken a turn for the worse since last week.“

“Well, you could always come to L.A and enjoy the sunshine.” Dany joked. She hoped that one day Henry would take her advice and move to the US permanently, but as he was now in the comfortable position of being known in the industry, her client wanted to stay in Europe.“I know, but you know me, I like it here.”

“I can always try. Anyway, so I have a few things we need to go through today. First up, second season of the Witcher. They have been in touch and you will receive the script for the first episode in a few days. Additionally, they finally settled on the date on which you need to show up for pre-production. It will be mid of July, shooting will begin in August and will go on until end of this year.”

“Ok that was to be expected.” he nodded.

“You will start shooting in London and then move on to locations, North England, Scotland, Slovakia...Final schedule will follow as well. Oh, and they want you to already start to adjust your training.” They went through some more details and moved on to various other engagements.

“..and don't forget that there is the finalisation of the Snyder Cut. They want to do additional PR in February just before it is released on HBO Max. You will need to come to the US then. It fits quite nicely with the wrap up of the Witcher.”

“Ok, just let me know the details once you have them.” His phone buzzed and Henry turned to read the incoming text. It was from Emma and Henry could not keep the smile from his face. “Sorry, can you give me a minute” He quickly typed out an answer and send a quick snapshot of Kal at his feet. When he turned back to the screen, he could feel Dany looking intently at him.

“You know Henry, if I didn't know better, I would say you seem more happy but also distracted than usually. Did anything happen?” He knew that she would pick up on his cheerful mood. Not that he was particularly grumpy, but he usually was more reserved. He took a breath.

“Well, now that you bring it up, there is something I would like to discuss with you. I met somebody a few days ago. We directly hit it off and spent a few days together..to make it short, I expect it to become something serious very soon.” He could see her thoughts clearly on her face.

“You met somebody? How and where?” she asked clipped.

He sighed. “We met by chance on the street when I was out walking Kal, she was here on holiday.”

“Can you give me a few more details, please?”

“She was lost and I showed her the way, we got talking and met up on the next day for a walk in the park and it just took off from there.”

“What do you mean, it just took of from there?”

“It means that we spend the days together..and the nights”

She looked surprised “Henry, seriously? I mean what were you thinking? You have been in the business long enough to know that you need to be cautious. Not only of the media and the paparazzi, but what if she set this up and now uses the information for one second of fame. You do remember Marisa?”

He grimaced. That was an unfortunate episode he rather forget. “She is not like Marisa, she did not set out to meet me, I mean yeah she knew who I was after I introduced myself. She just finished the Witcher a day before, but she is a private person. She does not want the public to know.”

“Let's put that discussion on hold. You said she was on holiday? Where is she from? And what is her name?” “Emma Mueller, she is from Germany.”

“And what does she do for a living? Age?”

“She is an engineer, working for gearbox manufacturer as project manager. She turns 29 in a few weeks.” “Do you have a picture?” He sent her screenshot from Emmas Profile picture. Dany quickly studied it and turned her eyes back to him, a small smile on her face. “She is pretty.”

Henry smiled “She is, she has a wonderful smile. It makes her eyes light up.“

“Did she take any pictures of you or of you together?”

“No, the only one there is of us is on my phone. And we also weren't photographed as far as I know.”

“That's good. Let's keep it this way as long as we can. I mean once the shooting picks up there will be more interest from the public on you again. Hopefully only related to potential information of the show, but you never know. You need to be prepared for that and her as well...She'll need to sign the NDA as soon as possible, best by today. Well, at least the digital copy. You can have her sign the hard copy when you meet the next time. Are you sure that you can trust her? I mean, yes, you said you met by chance, but still I'm doubtful that she will not see some personal gain from all of this. You only have known her for a few days” Henry huffed. “Yes, that's true, but she is different. She is open about herself, she does not pretend she is something she is not, she is just a normal woman who has a awful timing when it comes to being hungry, who likes to bake, loves Disney, is clumsy and thinks Captain America is better than Superman. We talked a lot on the days we were together and I already know more about her after a week than I did with others after a few months. I don't know why, but she just makes me smile...And I just want to spend time with her.” “This does sound serious.” her serious expression grew softer

“I know and honestly I know it sounds crazy. I do...Kal likes her. He was the reason we met and he followed her around like a lost puppy. “

“And if she does not want to be in the public eye? How does that fit together with you being an actor? I mean that's a lot to take in.”

He grimaced “Honestly, she is not thrilled..she has some reservations. Not only about the job but also of course about the schedule and so on. We talked about it. There will be compromises and a lot of flexibility required on her side, but she is open to try...And that's currently all we can do.“

“Is it really worth the hassle then? I mean, you know that you will need somebody who can rearrange their life around you. A long distance relationship won't makes things easier. At the moment you have a lot of free time compared to you usual schedule, but this will change quickly.”

“Yes, I think, it will be worth it.” Henry said seriously.

“If that is your decision I will send over the NDA. Please have her sign it asap. And I would like to set up a call with her, so I can meet her as soon as possible. You mentioned that you want to keep this out of the public for now?”

“Yes, maybe in a few months we could make it official...Even if there were pictures of us, I would like to keep her private. I will check with her about the meeting.” He sighed

“Please do. It is important. You are my priority here.” she pressed “Ok, that's all?”

“That's all for today. Don't forget the NDA. That's vital. Have a nice day.” “Yeah, you too, Dany.”

Henry disconnected the call and took a deep breath. He had known that Dany would not be thrilled, but her reaction was a little more severe than he had imagined. In the end, he knew that the days with Emma could have turned into a PR nightmare, if she had been there just for fame.

An hour later his phone chimed with an incoming E-mail and the NDA from Dany popped up and another reminder that she wanted to meet Emma as soon as possible. He sighed. This situation was a perfect example of a drawback of his life: the precautions and contracts. That he needed to tell somebody else about his personal life, even before it was really serious.

“Well, buddy, that went well. Now I only have to convince Emma to have a meeting with Dany and then we are all clear.”

Henry turned to Kal and chuckled when his dog only briefly lifted his head and then directly settled back on his paws. “You seem unimpressed. Let's get it over it.” He took his phone and fired off a quick message to Emma.

_H: Are you home already?_

He looked at the time. It was quarter after 4 pm in London, Emma should have been home some time now, but hadn't texted yet. His phone pinged with her reply.

_E: No, still at the office._

_H: It is already after 5 in Germany Has anything happened?_

_E: I know and it will be at least another hour, We had some findings and the customer is getting pissed off. I'm waiting for some results, I have another meeting in 15min and then we can finalise the documentation for today. I'm beat._

_H: Should I leave you alone?_

_E: No, I'm getting some chocolate from the vending machine so I have a few minuets. I would love some distraction. How was your day?_

_H: Good, had a chat with Dany today._

_E: Dany?_

_H: My manager._

_E: Oh right. And everything all right?_

_H: Yes, I told her about us. She was not thrilled, but that was to be expected. She send over a NDA for you to sign._

He could see the three dots as she was typing. Suddenly he was worried that maybe he chose the wrong moment to ask her. They had talked about it briefly but still it was not something she was familiar with.

_E: Ok, forward it to me._

_H: Already sent. It's a pretty standard one._

_E: I will have a look at it. Does that mean, I can't talk about you at all even if we decide to make it official?_

_H: Not to the press._

_E: Ok_

_H: And Dany wants to talk to you. She would like to set up a call when you are available._

_E: Why?_

_H: Just to get to know you I assume._

_E: Aha..I need to get back to work..I will let you know when I'm off._

_H: I'm sorry about this. I know it's annoying_

Emma sighed when she closed Whatsapp and turned over to the email that Henry sent her. Opening the attached document she quickly scanned through the pages. When Henry first mentioned a NDA, she researched the topic and the version in front of her did seem like a pretty standard one. No information about their relationship were to be given or sold to any members of the press. She was not allowed to post any pictures on any social media platform and so on. She printed the pages, signed at the bottom line and resent them to Henry.

Even with the advanced warning it still felt strange. In the end, she didn't even know where this would lead to and if they were able to make it work. Then her thoughts turned to the comment Henry made about the meeting with his manager. She wasn't sure how she felt about that. When he talked about Dany she sounded like a strict woman with a no- bullshit attitude and her own company. Emma suddenly felt very small and insignificant. Who was she to fit into this world. Just an ordinary girl with an ordinary life.

“Are you still here?” Victoria, a very good friend and colleague from the System Team joined her at her desk and pulled her from her musing.

Emma turned, rolling her eyes. “Yeah, they have several loss of drives in the fleet vehicles and nobody knows why. We have a meeting in ten minutes to discuss the results of today's analysis.”

“Great, sounds like a lot of fun. I'll keep my fingers crossed. Well, are we still on for Friday movie night? I just got my copy of Manchester by the Sea yesterday. It's such a great movie! You will love it”

Emma smiled. “Sure. Shall I prepare apple crumble just like last time?”

“Definitely. I have to go grocery shopping anyway, so I will get the vanilla sauce this time. Well, good luck with the meeting. See you tomorrow!”

“Thanks, you too. Have a nice night.” Victoria waved goodbye and walked away, just as Michael, Emma's manager arrived.

“You ready to hear what the SW team has to say as an excuse?”

Emma rolled her eyes “Yeah, I can't wait.” Grabbing her laptop, she followed him to the stairs, pushing all thoughts about NDAs and meetings with Hollywood managers out of her mind and focusing on strange diagnostic trouble codes and weird behaving transmissions.

He turned to her “Let's get this over quickly and send out the night letter and then I want you out of here.” Emma grimaced “Trust me, I will be” and opened the door to the meeting room where the SW project leader, senior manager and some other colleagues from the SW department were already sitting, all of them looking a little bit haggard. Michael sighed. “That does not look good. Please tell me you at least found some similarities in the three incidents.” “Well, yes and no” and with that the team quickly dove right into the analysis.

After sending out the night letter, Emma powered off her laptop and got ready to finally leave. It was almost 6:30pm and she was spent. Waving goodbye to Michael she left the office and walked to her vehicle.

The parking lot was almost empty with only a few vehicles left. She send off a quick message to Henry letting him know that she was on her way home and started her vehicle. Putting on some mixed playlist with musical, movie and Disney music, she let the familiar songs wash over her and clear her head. Once the second song was playing she started to sing along and the stress of the day left her body.

Her music was interrupted when her phone rang and she used the intercom system of her car to answer the phone. “ Hello?”

“Hey sweetheart. You finally made it?” “Oh hi Henry. Yeah..and tomorrow the whole circus starts again. We have a prep meeting with our joint venture at 8 am just to have then the customer meeting at 9:30 am and it will be uncomfortable.”

“What happened?”

“Several vehicles with a loss of drive and a failure code which links it to the park lock, but right now nobody knows whether it is a SW bug or hardware. They disassembled a transmission but the parts are in spec and no findings...The launch is planned end of July, so the customer is more than on the edge, which means we are in full task force mode, daily meetings on working level, biweekly meeting with higher management and a night letter each night to sum up the results of the day. Yay..” she groaned.

“I'm sorry, that does sound like a lot of stress. Anything I can do to make it better?”

“Distract me. How is Kal? He really looked cute in the picture you sent me.”

“Kal is fine, he is currently sleeping. No surprise there. He joined me at the gym today but instead of sweating, he just watched me working my ass off. “

“Well, he is a very smart animal. I would do the same if I were him.”

“You would watch me train?”

“Of course, you all sweaty and muscles working...I definitely would watch you. Might have to hold me back so I don't jump you.” she giggled.

“I never knew you had such a dirty mind. I will remember that for next time.” “Please do”

There was a small pause on his side. “I wanted to say thank you again for the NDA. I already forwarded it to Dany. She will be happy. I know that all of this is inconvenient, but an unfortunate necessity. I hope that you know that I trust you” Emma sighed.

“I know and I fully understand. Don't worry about it...If signing a NDA is part of being with you then I am happy to do it. I'm just a little nervous about meeting with her...If I'm being honest. I mean...I'm me and she is like this big shot manager...”

“You don't have to be nervous. She is just a normal person like me and you.”

“Well, Henry, let's face it. You are not a normal person. If you were, I would have not just signed a NDA. But I got to know you and I don't know her. Doesn't she have an assistant that deals with such kind of thing?” “She does have a lot of assistants and agents but she handled me herself since I joined. If you don't want to meet her, you don't have to sweetheart. I will tell her to back off. Though I think she can give you some insights and tips especially on how to take precautions. There will come a time when you will be confronted with the press.”

“If you put it like this..then how I can I say no? Let her know that I can make myself generally available in the evenings through out the week from 7:30 until 10pm. With what is going on right now I'm not sure I can promise anything earlier at the moment and I would hate to cancel last minute. I'm sure she is very busy.” “Thanks, I will let her know and she will contact you then. I really appreciate it and will make it up to you. I promise!”

“I will hold you to that.” she laughed.

“How about the next time you come visit? I thought maybe the second weekend of June? You could fly out on Friday and return on Sunday evening”

“I would love to come! Oh this is making my day” Her voice perked up

“If I had known that I would have lead the conversation with this suggestion”

Emma laughed “You should have. I'm really excited. I can't wait to see you again.”

“Me too. Hopefully the weather will be better.”

“Still raining?” “Like a tap that hasn't been closed.”

“What a metaphor. Here it's just cloudy. Not that I really got to see much of outside today. I was lucky I was able to have at least a lunch break. I just want to sit on the couch, order some take-out and not do anything else today. Maybe watch a movie.”

“That's sounds like a good plan...”

\----

Emma was nervous while she was waiting for her PC to boot. In just a few minuets she would have her meeting with Dany Garcia, Henrys Manager. After she agreed to the meeting, she received an email a day later with a short formal introduction and link to an online meeting. She had expected just an audio call, but it seemed that it was to be a video conference. She quickly did another check of her appearance in her living room mirror. She had not changed from her work clothes, but reapplied her mascara and brushed her hair. The call connected and even though she was two minuets early her meeting partner was already online. Emma had looked her up but the woman on the screen was even more impressive and slightly intimating. She immediately started the conversation.

“Hello, I'm Dany Garcia, nice to finally meet you. May I call you Emma?”

“Hi, nice to meet you too. Sure.”

“Thank you for making some time for me. Henry tells me you are quite busy at the moment.”

“Of course. Yes, we currently face some issues in one of my projects so I have a lot of long days at the moment.”

“You work as project manager?” “Yes, transmission development.”

“Interesting. Well, I would like to go over some topics with you today. I'm not sure how much Henry has already told you.“

“Not much. Just that you would like to get to know me and perhaps give some pointers regarding the media.” “That's a simple summary. Emma, let me be honest with you. Henry is a very important client and a friend. When he told me about you two meeting I was not thrilled. I mean he already had some bad experiences in the past with women and none of the relationships have worked so far. He is incredible busy and this alone puts a strain on every relationship. You being in another country is definitely not helping...But, Henry seems to be quite taken with you. Especially after such a short time and that's why I think it is important that we set some ground rules.“

“Ok, and what would those be?”

“Well, the media does not know about you yet. I understand that you want to keep it this way which I think makes definitely sense right now. However, that will change at one point in time. The more time you spend together, the bigger the chance is that somebody will post a photo of you. It does not have to be a paparazzi. In today's world every person with a cell phone can spread the news. I can't count the accounts on social media platforms which are just dedicated to post as many pictures and updates of Henry as possible. Sooner or later somebody will post a photo of you and then there is no going back. So you need to be prepared for that. It does help a little that you are living in Germany. I doubt that you will be recognised. I also expect that even if Henry comments on your identity, it will take a while for anybody to find you. I take that Mueller is a quite common surname in Germany?”

“Yes, its one of the most common ones”

“That's also good. Still, we should make sure that you very hard to find. Because once they find out that Henry has a girlfriend, it will go viral one way or the other. He has not been seen with one for two years.” “And what do you propose?”

“First of all, social media platforms..I assume you have Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok?”

“Only Facebook and Instagram”

“Are you posting much?”

“No, I haven't posted anything on Facebook for months. On Instagram my posts are mostly baking, lego and vacation pics. Maybe a picture of a concert or musical I visited.”

“So no selfies?”

“Not really. There are some tags on pictures of friends.”

“That's good. Go private on your account. Limit your followers to people you know, the same on Facebook. Delete any tags that show your face. Also ask your friends not to tag you any more. Anything comes up when you google yourself?”

“Guess, my profiles of LinkedIn and Xing, if you're really lucky maybe you could find some old listings from the days I was dancing. But other that, I think not much. I mean that's the advantage of a common name. Why do I need to delete all the tags?”

“Once you are public especially your name, people will try to find you and they will. Nothing can be kept secret nowadays. And then they will start to comment and most of them will not be nice. Let me be frank. Henry has over 14million followers on Instagram alone. Most of them female. There will be a lot of backlash once they find out that he is taken, and not only taken, but also by somebody not famous. You are pretty but not a model nor an actress. Some of them won't understand and will not accept that he has chosen you and not them. You do realise that this will be your life from now on as long as you are with Henry. Women will throw themselves at him, will scream his name, will want to take photos and make propositions. They will do it even if you right in front of them and that's just the fans. The tabloids will print rumours about him and every actress that he works with, every model, just from photos or interviews. Are you ready for that?”

Emma took a deep breath. Dany had just summed up one of her greatest fear.

“I don't want to sugar coat anything. I know several relationships from clients which failed because of this. I hope that does not happen to you, but there is a chance.”

“Thank you for your directness. It's appreciated. I will change my settings.” “

Well, now that we have this covered. Let's talk about the NDA and what I expect of you. First of all, thank you for the fast signature. Please bring the hard copy with you next time you see Henry. I need that for my files. I hope you read it carefully. Nothing about Henry or your relationship is to be made public by you. You will not post any pictures on social media or anywhere, nor will you share any intimate details with the press. In case Henry does make your relationship public any communication to the media will be handled by him or my team. These conditions are valid regarding any contact to Henry before you signed the NDA and will continue even when the relationship is over. Any violations to the terms and conditions will result in legal consequences. Henry is my client and will do anything to protect him. Any questions?”

“No questions. Everything is clear regarding the media and so on, but I was just wondering...I mean at some point, even if we don't go public, questions will arise regarding my relationship from my family and friends...I mean it will get obvious when I travel more. Henry mentioned he would be ok to tell them and even though I don't want to lie, I'd like to keep it low key as much as possible and not tell anybody in the beginning. Any tips for that?”

“That's typical of him. Use his second name. We sometimes do this when we make reservations and so on. William is a highly common name in England and even in the combination with Cavill it should be ok. I don't think you would like to use Dalgliesh.” It was the first time Dany smiled.

“No, I would no be able to pronounce that.” “Yeah, I also had to practice a long time. For his occupation use communication, just keep it general.”

“Ok. Anything else?”

“No, I think we covered most of the important stuff today. I can just give you one more advise: The internet doesn't forget anything. I hope you considered that already in the past, but I would strongly recommend to consider it for the future. I will send you the contact details of one of my assistants. If you have any further questions, please contact her and if the media contacts you, please do not answer, forward the request to her and we will take care of it.

“Ok, I will.”

“I know this is a lot to take in, but you seem like a person with a good common sense. If you don't have anything else I think we can end the call.”

“No, thank you very much. Have a nice day” “You too Emma.”

Emma ended the call and just closed her eyes. That had been once of the most intense conversation she ever had. Dany Garcia was sure a force to be reckon with but she appreciated the blunt words. Though they left a bitter aftertaste. Not so much due to the NDA, but rather the fans and their reactions. In this moment Emma was not quite sure whether she was able to not let get that to her. It was just the cherry on top of a long distance relationship, a full schedule on Henry's side, only limited flexibility on her side regarding the days she could travel, and parts of his job, she would never get fully comfortable with.

But then she thought about the days in London and how he made her feel and he was right she need to trust in them. That they either made it work with all the obstacles because it was meant to be, or they would fail, but at least they would have tried. It was not different from any other relationship.

Her phone vibrated pulling her out of her thoughts. She opened the chat and was greeted with Henry's picture.

_H: Hey Sweetheart, are you done? How did it go?_

_E: Yeah, just finished. I think it went well._

_H: I'm glad. I will be home within the hour. I know it is already late at your place, but I was thinking we could have at least a short video call. I would love to see you._

It was definitely worth it..


End file.
